Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2
by hawker-748
Summary: Continuing the story of the Aoyamas, Keitaro and Motoko.
1. Aoyamas Redux

Disclaimer: Love Hina is the property of Ken Akamatsu, TV Tokyo, Tokyo Pop, and probably enough lawyers to sink an aircraft carrier. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only, and may not be distributed for profit. I'm not making any money off of this; I am doing it just for personal enjoyment. Please don't sue.

Besides, most of my money is already spoken for by my friendly neighborhood Snap-On tools distributor.

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

LIME CONTENT WARNING!!

A LEMON version of this chapter is available at and 

WARNING! If you haven't read "Loss and Redemption", STOP RIGHT NOW! This story won't make any sense without reading that first, and this story will be a spoiler for the ending of that one.

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter One: Aoyamas Redux

By: hawker748

"You're… pregnant?" Naru asked quietly.

"Yes."

For a few seconds, everyone at Hinata House was at a loss for words. After a few seconds the silence was broken by Mutsumi. "Congratulations Motoko-chan! And you too Kei-kun!" she sang out, her usual cheerful expression firmly in place.

Mutsumi's declaration broke the ice, resulting in congratulations and well wishes being called out by the other residents. However, Kitsune and Naru's declarations seemed to be a little too formal under the circumstances.

For a few seconds, no expression had been visible on Tsuruko's features, but then her expression changed and was replaced with a pleased look. "Yes, congratulations you two," she said warmly. "How far along are you?"

"About six weeks," replied Motoko.

"I'm really happy for you Motoko," Shinobu interjected. "Is, is it a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know," answered Keitaro. "We don't want to know either. We told the doctor not to tell us anything unless it was an emergency."

Haruka took a long draw on her cigarette and blew the smoke out of her nose. She then looked at Motoko for a few seconds and after some internal deliberation reluctantly put the cigarette out in the ashtray with a wistful sigh. "So Keitaro, do you think you're ready to be a father?" she inquired. The other residents all looked at him, awaiting his answer.

Keitaro thought about his answer for a few seconds. "No, I'm not," he responded truthfully. "But I will be when the time comes," he added in a voice brimming with conviction. "We're still getting over the shock, we just found out yesterday."

"Only yesterday?" responded Kitsune.

"Yes," replied Motoko. "I'd been battling nausea for a week or so, but I thought it was a stomach flu, or perhaps Kei-kun's cooking."

"Hey! My cooking is pretty good," Keitaro huffed indignantly. "You're the one who didn't believe in spices for the first six months."

"Simple food is wholesome food," Motoko responded plainly.

"In addition to being terribly bland. Thank god for Tabasco sauce," muttered Keitaro under his breath.

A potential domestic squabble was averted when Naru gave voice to the question that had been in her mind from the moment she'd seen the two of them in the doorway. "So, why did you two come back?"

Everyone looked at Naru after she asked that question. In perfect synchronization, all the residents, except Haruka, turned their attention to the expectant parents. Haruka stared at Naru a moment longer, with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," added Kitsune. "If Motoko didn't want you to fight her sister, why come back at all?" She was giving Keitaro a hard look that he was having trouble meeting.

Reminding himself of what he was here for, Keitaro found the resolve to face Kitsune when he answered her. "Because of the baby. While I have enjoyed the nomadic lifestyle we've been living," he punctuated this remark by reaching over and squeezing Motoko's hand, "we don't want to risk the pregnancy with an unstable living arrangement. We've decided to move back to Hinata House for the duration of the pregnancy."

"What makes you think that you can just waltz back in now?" demanded Naru. The vehemence in her voice surprised even her.

Keitaro was momentarily taken aback at the level of open hostility in Naru's statement. For her part, Motoko's eyes narrowed and she shifted forward in her chair to stand up, only to stop when Keitaro put his hand over hers. Then his eyes narrowed, his jaw set, and his nostrils flared. "I am still the landlord of Hinata House," he stated, with more then a hint of steel in his voice.

"Then where were you?" snarled Kitsune.

"On sabbatical," Keitaro snapped back. "Aunt Haruka, I did say that we'd be back, correct?" When she nodded her answer, Keitaro continued with, "I'm sorry if this is a shock to any of you, but my wife and I are moving back in for a while."

An uncomfortable silenced reigned for a few moments before Naru hissed, "Fine. It IS your building isn't it? Welcome back you two." She then stomped out of the room with Kitsune following closely behind.

'That could have gone better,' Keitaro mused. He took a deep breath to calm himself and noticed the others looking at him curiously. "I…, I hope this isn't too big of a problem for the rest of you."

"It isn't Kei-kun," Mutsumi replied. "It's probably hard for Naru-san to adjust so quickly to you coming back after so long." Her expression hadn't changed at all, and Keitaro wasn't sure how she was feeling.

"It's nice to have you back sempai," Shinobu added sincerely. "And you too Motoko."

"Thank you Shinobu," Motoko replied, genuinely happy to hear those words. "We missed everyone."

"Where did you go Motoko?" asked Su, her usual exuberance having been unaffected by the recent flare up.

"Yeah, spill it you two!" added Sarah.

A small smile appeared on Keitaro's face. "We'll tell you over dinner. Shinobu, would you mind if I did the cooking tonight?"

"Not at all," she replied, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"Alright then. Tsuruko, would you like to stay for dinner as well?"

"Certainly," she responded warmly.

"Mo-chan, why don't you stay and talk with everyone while I prepare dinner." With that he left the dining room and walked into the kitchen to begin readying the meal.

For her part, Motoko started briefly describing to the remaining residents and to her sister what life had been like on the road with Keitaro.

XXX

Up in her room Naru was pacing about and muttering to herself, while Kitsune stood off to the side and watched her friend try to burn off some nervous energy. After a few moments Naru seemed to have calmed down enough for Kitsune to be able to talk to her without further upsetting her.

"You gonna be able to handle this Naru?" she asked, her voice a study in concern.

Naru stopped her pacing about and took a deep calming breath. After a few more breaths, she replied, "I'm alright now, sorry for acting like this." Her voice had a burned out quality, like a meadow after a wildfire had roared over it.

"Why should you be sorry, you've got every right to be pissed at the two of them," Kitsune responded indignantly.

Naru sighed and lowered her head at her friends blunt statement. "I don't want to be mad at them Kitsune," Naru uttered softly.

"Huh?" Kitsune hadn't expected that at all.

"They, they were important to me once, I don't want to be mad at them for the rest of my life." Naru was speaking in a voice barely over a whisper, and Kitsune had to strain to hear her.

"Then why did you lash out?" asked Kitsune.

"Why did you?" inquired Naru, effectively turning the tables on her friend.

"Uh, because you did. I thought you wanted me to be angry at them," replied Kitsune. She'd been so worried about Naru, she hadn't really thought about how she felt.

"Kitsune, how do you feel about them? Honestly."

Kitsune stopped to consider that. After some thinking she voiced her feelings to Naru. "I, I guess I kind of resent them for hurting you. You were in love with Keitaro, and she took him away from you."

"So why should you resent them for that?"

"You're kidding right? You're my best friend, and anyone who messes with you messes with me."

Naru smiled slightly at the sincerity in her friends' words. "Kitsune, I'm not certain how I feel about them. Yes, it was a shock to see them again, even more so that she's pregnant. That kind of threw me for a loop. I thought that I was over him, but when I saw him again, it reminded me of why I loved him, and I think I still do."

Kitsune's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you're still carrying a torch for him?" she replied incredulously. "It's been almost a year, Naru. Why haven't you been able to move on?"

"I thought that I had, but it seems that I was wrong." As she said this, Naru was staring at the floor and couldn't bring herself to look Kitsune in the eyes.

"You…, you're not gonna try anything, are you?" Kitsune asked hesitantly.

Naru looked at Kitsune like she had just been slapped. "No! Absolutely not! How could you even think such a thing?!" she responded vehemently.

Kitsune made warding gestures with her hands and slowly backed away. "You…, you did tell me that you once tried to jump him in the bath."

Naru winced in embarrassment and her face took on a pained look as she recalled that incident. "That was a lifetime ago Kitsune," she said quietly. "He's Motoko's now, and I won't try to steal him. I couldn't live with myself if I tried. I…, I just don't know if I can forgive the two of them."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll be civil, and I want you to civil as well Kitsune," she warned. "I'm going to try to put it all behind me, and see if we can at least be friends again. I honestly don't know if I can, but I'm going to try."

"And if you can't?" Kitsune asked quietly.

Naru sighed as he considered that possibility. "If I can't, then…, then I'll try to avoid them. I won't run away, I tried that once, but I won't be close to them anymore. I don't want to be an enemy, but I'm not certain that I can be their friend again."

"I'll support you, whatever you decide Naru," Kitsune replied earnestly. "I'll try to be civil to them as well. But does that mean that I can't tease them?"

Naru recalled how uncomfortable Keitaro had always been in the face of Kitsune's teasing. A smile with a hint of malicious intent came over her features. "Feel free to tease," answered Naru. 'If nothing else, at least it won't be dull around here.'

Kitsune's familiar smirk returned. "Consider it done."

At this point, Shinobu knocked on the door and told them that dinner was ready.

XXX

The dinner table held more guests than it had had in a long time. Naru, Kitsune, Mutsumi, Shinobu, Su, and Sarah were joined by Haruka, as well as the Aoyamas, Keitaro, Motoko and Tsuruko. Everyone had tensed up when Naru and Kitsune had entered the dining room, but there was a collective sigh of relief when they presented an atmosphere of civility.

Keitaro had created a simple but appetizing meal featuring a chicken stir-fry as it's centrepiece, that the residents all found appealing. For about five minutes into the meal, the conversation was on mundane topics, but this ended when Sarah, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, blurted out, "Hey Keitaro, where the hell did you guys go?" Everyone at the table looked over at Mister and Misses Aoyama with an expectant look on their faces.

Keitaro looked over at Motoko, who nodded in approval, and then he began to relate what the two of them had done for the past ten months. 'Hmmm, where to begin?' "After we left here, we went back to that mountain cabin that we all ended up at, remember? We stayed there for about three weeks before we went on our first journey. And after we finished a journey, we ended up back there. It was our 'home' so to speak."

"No one else ever took it?" interjected Mutsumi.

"I'm not certain, but I figure that most travellers took one look at that radiation warning symbol and ran like hell." The other residents considered this and nodded amongst themselves.

"So where else did the two of you go?" inquired Shinobu.

"The first time we went to visit my parents. After that, we went north to Hokkaido for a number of weeks to train in the wilderness there."

"Why?" asked Kitsune, curious in spite of her resentment towards the Aoyamas.

"Probably to use the cooler air and high altitude," Tsuruko interjected casually before Keitaro could respond.

"That's right sister," replied Motoko, a touch of rebuke in her tone.

"I thought so. Sorry for interrupting you Keitaro," Tsuruko apologized.

With a wave of his hand, Keitaro dismissed any possible bad feelings. "That's alright. That thin mountain air drove me nuts, I couldn't catch my breath. Just when I finally got used to it, we went home."

"I believed that you had taken all you could from there, and you were glad to get back to familiar surroundings," Motoko said, her voice having reverted back to 'instructor mode'.

"True, it was nice to get back," Keitaro recalled warmly. "That's pretty much how the whole time went. We'd travel all over Japan to train, come back to the cabin for a couple of weeks, and then be off again."

Listening to the tale, Haruka had one question that was nagging at her. "How did you afford to travel?" she inquired.

"I made withdrawls from my account from time to time," Keitaro replied matter of factly.  "After all, you were all still paying rent."

"So THAT'S where it went! See Haruka!" Kitsune shouted out suddenly, startling the other residents. "I told you I didn't take that money out to buy booze!"

Haruka merely shrugged indifferently, further annoying Kitsune.

Startled by Kitsune's sudden outburst, Keitaro took a moment to recompose himself and continue with his story. "We used that money for travelling expenses and food, although we did do some fishing and food gathering on the road."

"That's so cool!" squealed Sarah. "You did the Daniel Boone thing!"

"Who?" asked Motoko, who had no idea who Daniel Boone was.

"An American pioneer, I think," Keitaro replied with some uncertainty.

"Do you have any souvenirs?" asked Mutsumi.

"Just my photo album," Keitaro replied. "Wait here, I'll go get it." With that, he pushed himself away from the low table, stood up and walked over to his backpack and began rifling through it. "Found it." He then returned to the table and handed it to Shinobu.

When she opened it, the other residents crowded around her to look at the pictures. There were various exclamations as they saw the different photos. But one comment from Kitsune had an unexpected impact on Naru: "Jeez, Keitaro, you still collect those damn print club stickers?"

"So what's wrong with them?" Mutsumi asked innocently.

Naru's heart skipped a beat. In a flash, she remembered that a few of those stickers had had a special meaning to her and Keitaro. Most impolitely, she reached down and picked up the book to take a closer look.

"Hey! I was looking at that!" protested Su.

Naru ignored Su's protestations and quickly flipped to that page in Keitaro's album. When she saw that the photos of her and Keitaro were still there she felt a sense of bittersweet relief wash over her.

However, she flipped forward in the book and discovered, with to a growing sense of sadness that was stronger than she expected, that there were dozens of photos of Keitaro and Motoko. Motoko looked awkward in some of the first ones, but in later ones she looked completely at ease, even kissing Keitaro in a few of them.

'Why am I putting myself through this?' Naru thought miserably. 'I know how they feel for each other, why am I looking for more proof?' she wondered. She then handed the album back and apologized to everyone for taking it. She then went back to her seat and resumed eating, a strangely forlorn look on her face.

Kitsune had noticed and was troubled by Naru's behaviour, and promised herself to talk to Naru about it later.

The other residents spent a few more minutes flipping through Keitaro's album before they handed it back to him. As everyone returned to their seats to finish dinner, Naru asked in a subdued tone, "So why didn't you contact us while you were on the road?"

Keitaro placed his left elbow on the table and rested his head behind his left hand. "Quite honestly," he replied, in a voice that was even more subdued than Naru's, "We were afraid it would be difficult for everyone. It, it seemed easier to just stay away and hope that things would get better on their own."

Keitaro then lifted his head and looked at each of the others sitting at the table. In a voice thick with regret he continued. "But, in retrospect, perhaps it wasn't the right thing to do. I'm sorry if I've upset anyone, it isn't what I wanted." Eager to escape the awkward situation and noticing that everyone seemed to have finished eating, he stood up and started gathering the debris of the meal. "I'll take care of the clean up tonight, you can all just relax."

"I'll help you sempai," offered Shinobu.

Keitaro shook his head in response. "Thank you, but no Shinobu. I can do this, and besides, it's not like I'm going anywhere."

Naru got up from the table and handed her plate to Keitaro. "Thank you for the meal. If you'll excuse me…" She then walked out and headed for the living room. Kitsune offered an abrupt thanks and followed her. The others, with the exception of Motoko and Tsuruko, thanked him more heartily for dinner and left the dining room.

Wearing an impressed smile, Tsuruko called out to Keitaro. "I'm surprised, an excellent meal. Motoko's lucky to have you. Do you mind if your wife and I have a private talk?"

"No, go ahead. I'll see you later Mo-chan," he replied.

"See you later Kei-kun," Motoko replied, as she and Tsuruko got up and headed for her old room.

Now all alone, Keitaro allowed himself to release some of the tension that had built up since their return. While things hadn't been as bad as he had feared they could have been, it could have gone a lot better.

'Naru and Kitsune seem to be really upset at us, but at least they were kind of civil after that outburst,' he considered. The other residents hadn't seemed to be mad, or they'd simply hidden it well. But Keitaro didn't think that there was anywhere else that he and Motoko could have gone after learning of the pregnancy. He'd been adamant about going someplace with some stability rather than carrying the baby to term in the cabin. It hadn't been easy to convince Motoko, but she had eventually come to agree with him.

Still, it was going to be simple compared to the time when he was going to have to ask Motoko to temporarily stop doing kendo. There was no problem exercising, but Motoko was vigorous, to put it mildly, in her kendo training, and she'd have to stop it when she got closer to delivery. It was possible that she'd agree instantly, and realize that she had to stop doing one of the things she loved for the baby's sake. But Keitaro doubted it, and he was dreading the day that they would discuss it.

Not looking forward to that day, nor wanting to think about it either, Keitaro shifted his thoughts to something else important to him, mending fences. He knew that his decision to depart with Motoko had hurt Naru, and he had decided to try to patch things up with her. They'd obviously never be able to go back to what had been before, but he hoped that they could at least be friends. 'If we don't work this out, it's going to be really uncomfortable around here.'

What had happened earlier had disheartened him somewhat, but he was still hopeful. Maybe in a few days, when the initial shock wore off, she'd be in a more understanding mindset. He also figured that it would be best to let Naru make the first move, as she would have a better idea of whether or not she was ready herself, rather than him simply guessing. As he made a mental note to try to talk to the other residents, he continued cleaning up the kitchen.

While Keitaro was sorting out his thoughts and washing the dishes, Naru and Kitsune were talking on the couch. "You gonna be alright Naru?" asked Kitsune. "You kinda zoned out back there when you looked at that book."

"Just more confirmation," Naru replied softly.

"What do you mean?"

"You remember how Keitaro collected print club stickers?" When Kitsune nodded in reply, Naru continued with, "There are many, many photos of him and Motoko in that book." She sighed heavily. "Just more evidence that I lost him, as if her pregnancy wasn't enough. I really need to get over him don't I?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, you do," answered Kitsune bluntly.

"So how do I do that?"

"Try talking to him."

"That sounds so easy doesn't it?" Naru said wryly. "Hey Keitaro, I'm still carrying a torch for you, what do you think about that?" She shook her head in disgust. "Don't say a word Kitsune, I'm only kidding." 'Sort of,' she added silently. "I'll do what I can, but I don't think it'll be easy."

Kitsune shook her head slightly and gave Naru a half smile. "It's a matter of the heart. By definition, it can't possibly be easy."

XXX

Motoko lead Tsuruko up to the room that she and Keitaro had shared for about two months. She knocked hesitantly on the door and opened it cautiously. She was both surprised and relieved that it seemed to have been left exactly as she remembered. It appeared to have been cleaned regularly, but nothing else seemed to have been disturbed.

Tsuruko looked around the room for a few moments before commenting. "Nice. Were the decorations your idea?"

"Yes. When we got back after our 'marriage', I moved my things into his room."

Motoko's innocent comment reminded Tsuruko of something that had been gnawing at her conscience for almost a year. At least now she'd get a chance to explain herself and hope for the best. Tsuruko lowered her head and in a soft voice said, "Motoko, I…, I owe you an apology. I never meant to hurt you so much by forcing you to marry Keitaro."

"What do you mean, 'hurt me'? I don't understand."

"I, I think I was wrong in exiling you from the school, even temporarily," Tsuruko continued. "I never meant for things to go as far as they did."

Motoko wasn't sure what her older sister was getting at, so she asked her continue. "I still don't know what you mean. Yes, I did get upset, but everything worked out, didn't it?"

Tsuruko looked at Motoko, her regal features marred by guilt and regret. "I knew that it might upset you, but I never expected you to try to kill yourself." Now the remorse in her voice was joined by an emotion that had previously been alien to her; shame.

Motoko paled and her eyes went wide at her sister's admission. "How, how did you…?" she stammered in shock. Her sister had never acted this way before.

"I saw the cuts on Keitaro's hands when he came to talk to me. I almost ended the charade right there. I, I never meant to put you through that, I thought I was simply helping you get closer to him." There was a faint glistening in the corner of Tsuruko's eyes, her admission to Motoko had her on the verge of tears.

Motoko could not remember ever seeing her sister like this before. She had always been cheerful, or smiling about something, and so seeing her almost crying was unnerving to her. "It wasn't your fault," she said reassuringly. "I think I overreacted. Besides, Keitaro was there to save me."

"I hope you appreciated that."

Motoko looked embarrassed with herself. "Actually, I kind of slapped him senseless," she stated meekly.

"You did what!?"

"I was so miserable at that point, I lashed out at him for interfering with my plans. I also had a bit of a breakdown, but through it all he was there for me." Motoko's expression darkened as she recalled that night with some reluctance. She'd made a conscious effort to avoid thinking about those moments.

"I'm grateful to Keitaro for saving you Motoko. Can…, can you forgive me for putting you through that torment?" Tsuruko choked out.

Motoko shook her head and gave Tsuruko an understanding smile. "It wasn't that bad after that, besides I figured out what you were doing after two months or so."

"You did?"

"After Naru got back and finally admitted to Keitaro that she loved him, I was preparing to let him go, and I was thinking about your letter. In a sudden epiphany, I realized that I didn't have to give him up to regain the sword. From that moment on, I did everything I could to make sure he'd choose me. So don't worry about it, it all worked out fine. In fact, I want to thank you."

Tsuruko blinked in surprise; she hadn't expected this. "Thank me? Why?"

"Without your intervention, I never would have won Keitaro's heart. I had some feelings for him, but I probably would never have acted on them. If not for you, Naru might be carrying his child now, not me."

A look of gratefulness and a smile that had more warmth than Motoko had seen in a long time came over Tsuruko's features. "Thank you for being so understanding." She took a moment to regain her composure. "So, how are you enjoying life with Keitaro?" Tsuruko's voice now had it's old confidence back.

A blissful smile washed over Motoko's face. "It's better than I could have dreamed. He's devoted, kind, patient, and he's always been there for me. But more importantly, he knows when I need to be alone from time to time."

"Sounds perfect," remarked Tsuruko.

"No, he isn't perfect," replied Motoko as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "He's still kind of clumsy, can be incredibly clueless at times, and still has a strange gift for attracting trouble. And you know something? I wouldn't want him any other way."

"Oh really? Why?"

"He wouldn't be Keitaro. At least, he wouldn't be the Keitaro I fell in love with," Motoko clarified. "Despite all of these 'faults', they're part of the man who risked his life to save mine, who dared to face you without my knowledge, and who utterly devoted himself to learning Kendo, despite the fact that he's naturally uncoordinated."

"How is his kendo ability anyway?" Tsuruko inquired out of curiosity.

"Not so great," Motoko replied glibly. She then paused to reconsider her words. "I'm being unfair. He's not up to your skill level, or even mine, but by and large he isn't bad. I believe that he'd be equal to someone who has studied another kendo school for many years."

"And he did all this in less than a year?" Tsuruko asked with a sense of disbelief.

"Yes. Even after he chose me, he continued to train as if he had to fight you," Motoko explained. "I once asked him why he did it, since there was no longer any real need since I'd told him I'd chose him over the sword if I had to."

"What did he say?"

Motoko sighed with a smile on her face. "Kei-kun, that clumsy, frustrating, wonderful Kei-kun, told me that he didn't think I'd be complete without the sword. He said that no struggle would be too difficult for him if it would make me happy. If I hadn't loved him before, that would have done it. He pushed himself far beyond his own limits, and he did it for me. That's one of the reasons I'm so happy with him."

"I see," Tsuruko replied softly. She shook her head as if to clear it, leaned forward conspiratorially, and asked Motoko, "So, how is Keitaro?"

Motoko's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I thought I just told you, he's devoted-"

"No Motoko," interrupted Tsuruko, as she smirked at her younger sister. "I mean, how IS Keitaro?"

Motoko blushed at the candidness of the question. 'Is she trying to embarrass me?' Suddenly, an evil impulse entered Motoko's thoughts. Figuring that turnabout was fair play, and since it was the truth anyway, she gave into it. She matched her sister's smirk with one of her own, leaned forward and replied, "That's the OTHER reason I'm so happy to be with him."

For Motoko, the only thing that marred the delight she felt at seeing the stunned expression on her older sister's face was the fact that she didn't have a camera to capture it for posterity, though she did commit it to her memory.

Tsuruko, who couldn't have been more surprised if Motoko had sprouted wings and flown around the room, struggled to regain her composure. "He seems to have a natural talent in that area, I…, I guess," Tsuruko stammered, a little flustered at her little sister's flippant remark.

Motoko shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. Our first time, his endurance wasn't great."

"He didn't satisfy you?"

"He didn't even get his boxers off."

Through the door, Motoko and Tsuruko heard Keitaro let out a mighty sneeze in the kitchen.

Tsuruko chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm sorry, but that's pathetic."

"He made up for it," replied Motoko, feeling an urge to defend her husband's honor. "Besides, he was a twenty-two year old virgin, I'm amazed he didn't explode."

"So, has his stamina improved since then?" Tsuruko asked mischievously.

"Yes it has. It's from all the workouts we do. I figure we could both run marathons now."

"I didn't mean that type of stamina, and you know it," Tsuruko chided.

"His technique has also improved," added Motoko, acting if Tsuruko hadn't spoken. "He now has more finesse and grace than when we first started. He's listened to my coaching and he's gotten much better."

"Motoko, I was talking about his abilities in the bedroom, not how good he is with a sword."

A sly grin appeared on Motoko's face. "When did I say I was talking about kendo?"

'My, she's gotten bolder, hasn't she?' thought Tsuruko.

Any further discussion was aborted when a knocking came from the door, which then opened and Keitaro entered the room. "Kitchen's done," he said. "Mo-chan, Tsuruko, would you like me to make you some tea?" They both shook their heads in response. Keitaro then noticed that there seemed to be an awkward silence in the room. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" 'Is Motoko…blushing?'

"No, no," Tsuruko replied. "We were just discussing your…abilities."

"I see," Keitaro replied uncertainly. 'Oh boy, she IS blushing, what the hell's going on?'

"She's been raving about what you can do, and it piqued my interest," she continued as she got a strange gleam in her eyes. "It made me wonder if I should put you to the test myself."

"I guess that wouldn't be-"

"NO!" Motoko blurted out, a horrified look on her face.

"What?" Tsuruko asked, the epitome of innocence. "I was just talking about his kendo skills."

'I should have known better than to try to battle wits with Tsuruko,' Motoko thought to herself bleakly. "It…, it's nothing, I just over reacted a little, that's all." By now Motoko's face was cherry red with embarrassment.

'What did I miss?' wondered Keitaro. 'On second thought, I don't really wanna know.' "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I was just getting ready to leave anyway," replied Tsuruko.

"You don't have to go, we have rooms here if you wish to stay," Keitaro declared.

Tsuruko considered Keitaro's offer for a few moments before she nodded to herself and said, "I accept your offer. It'd be nice to see you two for a while. If you'll excuse me, goodnight you two." She then stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Keitaro spent a moment staring at the closed door before he looked at his wife. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing Kei-kun," Motoko replied, although she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes right now.

Keitaro, realizing that attempting to get any more information out of Motoko would be pointless, put down the two backpacks he had retrieved from the main entrance and took a minute to look around his old room. Like Motoko before him, he was pleased to see that nothing had really changed in their absence. He also realized that while nothing had changed physically, the atmosphere of Hinata House had changed, and that it would be a while before they became accustomed to it again.

Breaking out of these metaphysical ruminations, Keitaro walked over to the window and took the opportunity to savour the view, something he had missed greatly while he was travelling with Motoko. As he stood there, watching the city at night, he sensed Motoko coming up behind him.

Leaning down, Motoko rested her head on Keitaro's shoulder, and embraced her husband around the waist. She heard him sigh in contentment and felt him place his hands over her own. She then took the time to follow his gaze out the window and contemplated the beauty of a city after dark.

"What a lovely view," she said softly.

"Isn't it? I always used to love the view out this window."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Motoko pouted.

"At the time, I had other pressing concerns to deal with," Keitaro replied honestly.

"And now?"

"There are only three things I think about right now; you, the baby," Keitaro paused at this moment to take a breath, "and finally being back here."

Motoko considered his words for a few minutes, all of the while taking comfort and security in her husband. Finally she gave voice to a question that had been on her mind since the moment she had seen the others. "Are we, are we doing the right thing? Coming back, I mean."

"Yes," answered Keitaro without hesitation. "As much as I have treasured and loved travelling with you, we need some stability during your pregnancy. I won't risk you or the baby for anything." The conviction in his voice further reminded Motoko why she loved him. "We get stability here," he continued, "even though it is awkward right now. And to tell you the truth, I've missed the people here."

"So have I," replied Motoko quietly.

"I, I don't want to feel like an outsider here, I just want to make peace with everyone."

"Do you think we can?"

"I don't know, but I want to try."

"We'll try," corrected Motoko.

The two of them stayed in the embrace for a few minutes, both of them enjoying the view, the company, and the solitude after a rather difficult day. Absently, Keitaro detached one of Motoko's hands and kissed the back of it. In response, Motoko took Keitaro's hand and softly kissed the scar on his palm.  She then gently ran the tip of her tongue along it's length.

Keitaro's breath caught in his throat and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Motoko only did that when she was feeling…frisky. Under most circumstances, that was all it took to initiate intimacy, but the location gave him pause.

"Something wrong, Kei-kun?" Motoko purred when she felt him hesitate.

"It, it, it feels a little strange to be intimate in this room, Mo-chan," Keitaro stammered quietly. 'Especially since half the house is probably listening in on us,' he added silently.

"We're married aren't we? It's our right."

Motoko's argument was convincing, but not as convincing as the soft kisses she was placing on his neck. Keitaro craned his neck up to allow her easier access and he found himself looking at the ceiling. 'The hole's gone!' the objective part of his mind noted, before it was told to take a hike and let the emotional side take over.

Still, Keitaro was a little intimidated by the idea of he and Motoko making love this close to Naru's room, but Motoko, sensing his faltering resistance, pulled out one of the weapons in her arsenal almost guaranteed to change his mind. She leaned further forward and started softly suckling his left earlobe.

Keitaro gasped out in response, rolling his eyes in sheer joy; he loved it when Motoko did that. Objectively, he knew that she was probably trying to overcome his reluctance. He also knew that she had just succeeded in doing that. 'If they wanna listen in, let 'em!' He turned around in her embrace and met her lips with his own, kissing her deeply, breaking it off only to allow one last moment of rational thought to be communicated. "Lock the door," he whispered softly. Listening in was one thing, but having someone walk in was just plain wrong.

"Tsuruko took care of that," Motoko replied breathlessly.

Before it was completely swept away, Keitaro's rational mind made a final mental note to thank Tsuruko the next morning.

Later, when they had finished celebrating their love, the two of them held each other in a tight embrace as they both struggled to get their wind back. They stayed there, breathing hard, feeling their heart rates coming down, and just enjoying the calm after the storm. Both of them were quite tired now, and they mutually decided that it was time to sleep. Motoko eased off Keitaro and then snuggled up next to him.

"Goodnight Kei-kun, I love you."

"I love you, Mo-chan. Pleasant dreams."

"I'm living one," she replied as she snuggled closer to him.

Keitaro smiled to himself and reached over to turn out the light. As he started to drift off, he recalled the day's events; the return, confrontations, and truces that had occurred. It was a potentially unstable situation, the two of them being back at Hinata House, but it was going to be a reality during the pregnancy.

Tomorrow the two of them would do what they could to try to settle the tension between everyone. He wasn't sure if they could do it, but they would give it their all. One could never know what the future would bring.

'After all, would I have believed what happened tonight a year ago?' he asked himself. With that last thought, he tightened his embrace on the now sleeping Motoko, and let himself drift away.

End Chapter One

Author's Notes: Here we go again. When you get so many emails and reviews demanding a sequel, you must have done something right. I had no idea that my first story would strike such a chord with readers, or that it would be so popular.

So, by popular demand, I started on this sequel. I feel that it will take longer to update because I want to make sure that I do this one right, and because I'm in unexplored territory here. While many stories have tried to tell what might have happened if Keitaro and Motoko got married, to my knowledge no one has ever tried writing an aftermath story.

I will finish this story, but it may take a while. I hope you all enjoy the ride. Any feedback and reviews, both positive and negative, would be welcome.

For this story I am using three pre-readers: dennisud, crosseyedbutterfly, and UndeadAnimeFan267. Any mistakes are mine, not theirs.


	2. Information and Issues

Disclaimer: See endnotes for special disclaimer.

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: hawker748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

This story is also posted at AdultFanfiction(dot)net and MediaMiner(dot)org

QuickEdit EATS!

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

LIME CONTENT WARNING!!

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter Two: Information and Issues

By: hawker748

The following morning, a surreal atmosphere enveloped Hinata House. When the regular residents roused themselves from slumber, more than one wondered if they hadn't simply dreamt that Keitaro and Motoko had returned the day before. Nothing seemed to have changed, and the idea of them returning after so long seemed absurd, never mind Motoko being pregnant with Keitaro's child.

When everyone gathered in the changing room for their morning bath, no one raised the subject of their return, and the idea of it all being just a strange dream became all the more likely. All of the girls were chatting amiably, and it looked like it was just going to be another normal day at the residence.

Until everyone went outside and discovered Tsuruko enjoying an early soak in the hot springs. The sight of her lounging in the hot water shattered any lingering hopes that the return had all been their imagination, and forced everyone to realize that life at Hinata House had once again been turned upside down.

As everyone stood there staring, Tsuruko casually stood up, stretched, proving that beauty ran in the Aoyama family line, picked up a towel, and headed for the exit. As she passed the residents, who were standing there with their mouths open, looking like freshly landed fish, Tsuruko bid everyone "Good morning!"

Mutsumi quickly returned the greeting, followed by Su and Sarah. After a moment, Shinobu bid her "good morning" as well. Tsuruko nodded in response, and walked into the changing area to get dressed. She either didn't notice, or just didn't care, that Naru and Kitsune were both staring daggers at her as she walked by them.

'How dare she!' Naru thought silently as she immersed herself up to her chin. 'She admits to destroying my relationship with Keitaro, and then she just stays around like she owns the place!' Naru was gripped by a feeling of impotent rage, for she couldn't really do anything to Tsuruko without further upsetting her relationship with Keitaro and Motoko. Even if that hadn't been a factor, Tsuruko was out of her weight class regardless.

The emotionally scarred young woman was experiencing a tempest of emotions; anger at Tsuruko's meddling, sadness at being reminded yet again of the loss of Keitaro to Motoko, regret at her hostility towards them the day before, and finally, hope that she'd be able to work things out in the end. Their return had opened old wounds that she'd thought were healed over, as well as making a few new ones. But she didn't want to stay angry at them, only Tsuruko was deserving of that. Keitaro and Motoko had been friends, and maybe they could be again, but Tsuruko was fair game.

Stewing, in both senses of the word, physically and emotionally, Kitsune's thoughts weren't as charitable as Naru's. Unlike her, Kitsune blamed all of the Aoyama for Naru's slide into depression after Keitaro had made his choice. While she no longer considered him to be the devil incarnate, being civil to him was an exercise in restraint. She wanted to lash out at him, make him and Motoko hurt the way Naru had been, but she was reluctantly following her friends' request to be civil, at least for now. 'Hell, maybe I'll even try to make up with them as well,' she thought. 'But probably not.'

For Kitsune, the only person whose feelings mattered to her in this situation was Naru. She didn't give a rat's ass what the others felt like, and she believed that she'd be angry at Tsuruko, Motoko, and Keitaro for the rest of her life. 'But Naru would like it if I was on good terms with them again.' She sighed in frustration as she struggled to balance her friends' wishes with her own feelings. 'I'll try for your sake Naru, but I wouldn't hold my breath.' Kitsune spent the rest of her time in the bath trying to convince herself to open up to the Aoyamas, but she wasn't certain how successful she would be in this endeavour.

As she relaxed in the hot spring, Mutsumis' main point of concern was that all of the residents would get along, and that nothing would interfere with Motokos' pregnancy. Although she hadn't shown anything on her face, she was deeply troubled by the disharmony that now permeated Hinata House, and she felt that she had to do whatever was necessary to eliminate it. 'The best way to do that,' she reasoned, 'would be to try to help Kei-kun, Motoko-chan, and Naru-san get along.' But she didn't know how to do that. She decided to just think about it for a while, and when she came up with a plan, she'd put it into action.

While feeling the hot water work out the kinks from sleeping, Shinobu briefly recalled her unrequited love for Keitaro, and how difficult a decision it had been to let him go. Objectively, she had known that she never had a chance with him, but hope springs eternal, especially in first crushes. The pain she had felt in accepting his loss had been replaced by fond memories of the time that she'd had with him, and how he had always tried to be there for her, even though he hadn't felt for her the way she'd felt for him.

Because of her acceptance of the futility of a relationship with him, she'd had an easier time than Naru after Keitaro had left. It had hurt for a while, but with time, and some talking with Naru, the pain had eventually gone away, and Shinobu had grown up a little as a result. She was glad to see Keitaro and Motoko again, thrilled that they were expecting a child, and unlike Naru, she hadn't had any relapses of her feelings for him. He was now like an old friend that she hadn't seen for a long time, and the love she felt for him was the love for an older brother.

Koalla Su and Sarah McDougal were both glad to have Keitaro back, although Sarah wouldn't have admitted it under torture. They both felt that things had gone dull after Keitaro and Motoko had left, and with Keitaro back, their favourite 'playmate' had returned. While they had both worked hard trying to raise Naru's spirit after the young couple had left, she wasn't as much fun as Keitaro. Besides, you could hit him with anything and he'd just get back up again. Having a toy that bordered on indestructible was every child's dream.

After everyone was finished with their ruminations in the bath, they all got dressed and went down to the kitchen. Shinobu was the first to enter the kitchen and she stopped cold upon discovering that Tsuruko was putting on the finishing touches on breakfast. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down at the table and waited to be served.

Naru and Kitsune arrived in the dining room and were taken aback at the sight of Tsuruko setting food on the table, and Shinobu sitting down, looking like she wasn't sure what to do. Gradually, they took their seats, noticing that there were settings for everyone, and waited. Mutsumi, Su, and Sarah didn't even raise an eyebrow at the sight of Tsuruko preparing breakfast, they just took it in stride.

Kitsune took a bite of her meal and was annoyed by the fact that it was quite good, almost on par with Shinobu's, which meant she couldn't even complain about the quality. As they all sat there eating, gently probing Tsuruko about what Motoko had been like when she was younger, and answering her questions about Keitaro, they all wondered where the two of them were.

XXX

Keitaro and Motoko were currently still in bed and in each others arms, enjoying the rest after the hectic times that they'd had the day and night before. Motoko woke up first, and she experienced the same emotions that she'd become accustomed to when she awoke in Keitaro's arms. Love, security, comfort, and closeness were all feelings that she was accustomed to having, and she was always thankful that Keitaro had chosen her. But on this morning, like the previous weeks mornings, another feeling was making its presence known, nausea.

Motoko swallowed once heavily, all of the while feeling her stomach churn in a way that was by now depressingly familiar. She sat up abruptly, waking Keitaro in the process, and making an effort to hold on until the nausea passed. Feeling the gorge rise in her throat, she realized she'd failed once again. She grabbed her hakama hurriedly, put it on like a robe, and bolted out of the door in a mad dash for the bathroom. Keitaro, who had snapped awake as soon as he'd realized what was happening, threw on his own hakama and followed closely behind.

With seconds to spare Motoko made it to the bathroom, dropped to her knees, lifted the lid and like many, many expectant mothers before her, underwent the experience known as 'morning sickness'. As she knelt there, vomiting and silently cursing the reproductive system that proscribed such indignities onto its participants, she noticed that once again Keitaro had followed her into the bathroom and was holding her hair up for her so that none fell into the bowl. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the heaving stopped and Motoko gratefully accepted the glass of water that Keitaro handed her. She took a sip, rinsed out her mouth and spat the water into the bowl, repeating twice in an attempt to purge the foul taste from her mouth. She then stood up and took a look at herself in the mirror, dismayed at the bedraggled face that she saw there.

"Feeling better now, Mo-chan?" Keitaro asked softly.

Motoko gave her husband a look that was half annoyance and half misery. "Why is it that only mothers go through this?" she asked bleakly.

"Because they're the ones carrying the baby?" Keitaro replied in a weak attempt at levity.

Keitaro's attempt to raise her spirits succeeded enough that she didn't clout him upside the head for that remark. With a sickly smile she said, "God, I'm hideous aren't I? I'm a mess!"

Keitaro took hold of Motoko's shoulders, pulled her into an embrace, and in a soothing voice replied, "No Mo-chan, you're beautiful. You're just going through something very big right now."

"I know, I know. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable."

"Do you want to see a doctor today? It'd probably be a good idea to start seeing one regularly, just to be sure."

Motoko considered what Keitaro had suggested for a few moments before replying, "You're probably right." She then pulled herself partially out of his embrace, looked down into his eyes and asked, "Will you still love me when I look like I've swallowed a watermelon?"

Smiling warmly in response, Keitaro said, "Yes. Like I said, I'll always love you, I promise. Do you feel up to breakfast?"

"Yes, I feel better now. I'm actually quite hungry."

"Of course, you're eating for two."

"That's true. Let's get cleaned up after we eat, okay Kei-kun?"

"That's fine with me Mo-chan."

XXX

Back at the breakfast table, everyone had heard Motoko's uncharacteristically heavy footfalls during her sprint for the bathroom, and most had grimaced in disgust at the sound of her purging her stomach.

"What's going on up there?" asked Sarah, a concerned look on her face.

"Morning sickness," Mutsumi replied casually.

"What's that?" asked Su curiously.

Naru pursed her lips as she considered how to answer that. She then replied, "When a woman is going to have a baby, they throw up a lot during the first months of the pregnancy." This seemed to satisfy Sarah and Su, and the two of them resumed eating.

Realizing that this was going to be a regular occurrence for the next little while, the others made an effort to keep eating as well. When Keitaro and Motoko entered the dining room a few moments later, their appearance was unusual enough that it took most of the residents by surprise.

During the time that they had trained together, Keitaro and Motoko had almost always worn identical kendo outfits, and were always impeccable in their appearance. The sight of the two of them in old shorts and t-shirts, with bleary eyes and 'bed-head' came as a complete surprise to everyone. Their completely ragged appearance caused Shinobu to blurt out, "What, what happened to you two?"

"We. Hate. Mornings." The two of them replied in unison.

More than a little worried by the fact that her younger sister more resembled a ghoul than a human, Tsuruko asked, "Shouldn't you two be practicing?"

"We practice after breakfast now," replied Motoko, taking a seat at the table, with Keitaro sitting next to her a second later. Mutsumi passed the both of them a plate that they both accepted with grateful nods and then started to eat.

Deciding that the time and the circumstances were ripe for teasing, Kitsune remarked, "You know, the two of you don't seem to be so motivated to practice anymore. Is it possible that your skills are slipping Motoko?"

With chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth, Motoko looked straight at Kitsune. For a brief second her eyes narrowed and flashed menacingly, before a smile that didn't come close to her eyes appeared on her features. When she responded, her voice was sweet, but dangerous to the core; a blade dipped in maple syrup. "OUR skills are quite sufficient, Kitsune. Would you like a demonstration?"

Kitsune was shaken by the sheer level of threat in that friendly sounding offer. It also angered her, and she was about to reply when Naru subtly shook her head at her and frowned disapprovingly. Remembering her promise to be civil, Kitsune bit back her reply, put her head down, and resumed eating.

"She may have a valid point," interjected Tsuruko. "You always used to get up early to train when you were growing up."

"Yes, I remember," replied Motoko. "But over the last year or so, I've noticed that we both started doing better when we extended our training at night, rather than getting up early. When you sleep later you feel more rested, and you're better able to learn."

Tsuruko considered that for a few moments before responding with, "That seems to make sense, and you did say that Keitaro was doing quite well."

Keitaro's ego grew a little upon hearing that comment.

"If someone as uncoordinated as Keitaro could do that well, perhaps there's some truth to that theory," Tsuruko continued.

With an almost audible 'hiss', Keitaro's ego was deflated once again.

Any further comments were aborted when Tama-chan, who had been resting on Mutsumi's shoulder, took to the air and ended up landing on Motoko's shoulder. All of the regular residents froze, waiting for Motokos' normal display of panic whenever Tama-chan came too close to her. But this time, something unexpected happened. Motoko not only started tickling Tama-chan under the chin, she even picked up a morsel of food to hand feed the hot springs turtle.

The collective surprise was captured perfectly by Sarah, who cried out, "What's goin' on? You always used to freak out when you saw turtles."

Motoko briefly took her attention away from feeding Tama-chan and replied, "I guess you could say I've learned to… appreciate… flying turtles."

Keitaro found that his cheeks were warm at that comment.

"Yeah, I heard," Kitsune muttered under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Mutsumi.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" babbled Kitsune, who was blushing so heavily she looked like she'd fallen asleep in a tanning booth.

A pregnant pause followed Kitsune's remark until Naru, who didn't want to do anything that would widen the gulf between her and her former friends, made an obvious, almost desperate attempt to change the subject. "Is everything all right Motoko? You sounded terrible up there."

Grateful for the opportunity to bypass Kitsune's intemperate remark, Motoko replied, "It's just morning sickness, I believe. It wasn't much fun."

"Yeah," Su piped up. "You sounded like Keitaro the first time you made him run!"

"Su!" Shinobu cried out, looking slightly ill at the present topic of conversation.

"I'm still going to have to live with it for a while," Motoko remarked resignedly.

"How are you feeling Motoko-chan?" inquired Mutsumi, her usual good cheer firmly in place.

"Excited… and scared."

"You're scared Motoko?" asked Su curiously. "I thought you were only afraid of turtles."

"Terrified actually," replied Motoko. "This, this is the biggest thing I've ever done, I'm mortified of doing something wrong."

"Nobody's perfect Motoko," Kitsune interjected. Her expression darkened as she found herself replaying unpleasant memories. "Especially most parents," she added quietly.

"You won't be doing it alone," Keitaro said softly, tenderly squeezing Motoko's hand. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Then why weren't you throwing up?!" snapped Motoko. A stricken look came over her as she realized what she'd just said. "I'm sorry Keitaro! I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," he replied sincerely. "You're under a lot of stress, I understand. Believe me, I wish I could do more for you than provide support."

A look of gratitude replaced the stricken look on Motoko's face. With a tangible level of thanks in her voice, she said "Thank you for being so understanding."

"It's nothing, I'm nervous too. The first time I hold our son in my hands I'll probably-"

"Daughter," interrupted Motoko.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm going to have a beautiful baby girl," Motoko replied confidently, rubbing her stomach gently and smiling beatifically. "I can feel it."

An indulgent look came over Keitaro's face and he patiently replied, "Sorry Mo-chan, but I'm certain that we're going to have a strong, healthy son."

"Kei-kun," Motoko responded sweetly, "I'm the one carrying her, she's a girl."

"Mo-chan, it's the man who determines the sex of the baby. He's a boy," he insisted.

"She's a girl, Kei-kun," Motoko replied forcefully.

"He's a boy!" Keitaro snapped back.

"Girl!"

"Boy!"

By now, all other conversations at the table had ceased, as everyone started watching the argument in a state of incredulous disbelief. Keitaro and Motoko were raising their voices at each other, their 'discussion' reminding the residents of the verbal sparring that Keitaro and Naru used to do.

Things came to a head when Motoko stood up suddenly, drew her sword, despite the fact she hadn't been carrying it and had no place to conceal it, and levelled it at Keitaro. "I challenge you to a duel! If I win, the baby will be a girl. If you win, it will be a boy." The twinkle in her eye belied her tone of voice.

Keitaro looked into his wife's eyes, saw the glint of amusement, and knew that he wasn't going to back out of this one. "I accept," he replied, a gleam appearing in his own eyes.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" shouted an exasperated Kitsune.

Motoko was beyond hearing. "Annex roof," she declared with a smirk, to which Keitaro nodded, and the two of them headed out of the dining room, leaving the stunned residents and an amused Tsuruko behind. After a few moments of complete silence, Tsuruko stood up and walked towards the door, closely followed by Mutsumi.

"Um, where are you two going?" Shinobu asked hesitantly.

"To watch," the two of them replied, sounding as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

The prospect of Keitaro and Motoko duelling caused Su and Sarah's eyes to light up, and the two of them zipped out of the kitchen, leaving turbulence in the air behind them as they ran. Shinobu, more concerned about Motoko somehow hurting herself or the baby, followed a moment later, but nowhere near as fast. Naru and Kitsune looked at each other, shrugged in a 'why not?' manner, and made their way to the roof.

After a few moments, all of the residents made it to the roof and discovered that the duel was now underway. The sharp ringing of steel striking steel reverberated through the air as the Aoyamas took 'domestic discussion' to a whole other level. Or more accurately, Motoko was making all the arguments, via her blade, while Keitaro was desperately trying to defend himself. Motoko was circling around Keitaro, almost toying with him when she struck, while Keitaro did everything he could to deflect her blade.

Motoko owned this battle, and the observers noted that Keitaro was so busy mounting a defence that he hadn't been able to go on the attack at all. Still, the most experienced warrior present was impressed by Keitaro's ability and improvement. From what she'd observed, Keitaro would probably be able to hold his own against a lesser opponent, or even Motoko, if she held back a little. "Good show Keitaro," Tsuruko remarked to herself.

Because she'd been standing so close to Tsuruko, Shinobu was the only one to hear her admission. "What do you mean? Sempai's losing."

Tsuruko looked down at Shinobu and smiled warmly. "Shinobu, do you observe how fast Motoko is attacking?"

Shinobu returned her attention back to the battle. Without looking back at Tsuruko she replied, "She's like a whirlwind."

"Correct. Now think, how fast must Keitaro move to defend himself?"

Shinobu scrutinized the sword battle for a few more moments before she realized what Tsuruko was getting at. "Hey, you're right, sempai IS blocking all her strikes!"

Her exclamation caused the other residents to belatedly notice that Keitaro had gotten much faster in a year. Mutsumi made an additional observation and raised a question to Tsuruko. "Why isn't Kei-kun moving more?"

"I would guess to compensate for his lack of coordination. The less he moves the better."

As it happened, Tsuruko's assumption was the right one. While Keitaro had gotten better at handling the sword, he had not made as much of an improvement on his footwork. He'd eventually come to the realization that his best strategy was to stay in one place and use a purely defensive style, and hope that Motoko would get careless. On the rare occasions that it happened, he'd go for broke and press an attack. On even fewer occasions, when fortune was smiling upon him, he'd managed to defeat Motoko, but he could count the number of times on one hand and still have fingers left over.

But today would prove not to be one of those times. While pivoting to face the whirling dervish that was Motoko, Keitaro's feet got tangled up, and he fell on his ass. Motoko rushed forward to press the advantage, bringing her sword down in an overhead strike which Keitaro was just able to block. As they held their position, neither sword moving, held there only by Keitaro's strength, Motoko asked him sweetly, "Do you yield?"

"N, no…" he gasped out, the exertion on his face testament to the effort he was making to stop Motoko's sword. While he was breathing hard, he was far from being exhausted. He looked like he'd be able to go on much longer, the fact he was effectively pinned down not withstanding.

"Finish him!" chortled Sarah.

"Excuse me! This isn't a video game!" Keitaro shrieked, while struggling to keep Motoko's blade from finishing it's journey.

"You're no fun," Sarah pouted.

Motoko kept up the pressure for a few more seconds, before she eased up and placed her weapon back into its scabbard. "Well, it seems that we will have a beautiful daughter, right Kei-kun?" Motoko asked sweetly. For his part, Keitaro merely grumbled a response. She then held out her hand and helped Keitaro back to his feet. "Well sister, what do you think of my favourite student?"

Applauding politely, Tsuruko replied, "I have to admit, I'm impressed. You've both done well in a year."

"Thank you, but I couldn't have done it if Kei-kun hadn't worked as hard as he did." Motoko beamed at her husband as she made the comment, causing him to blush in an 'aw, shucks' manner.

"If you'd needed to get back into our school, that would have been enough. More than enough," Tsuruko remarked truthfully.

Bowing in response to the high praise, Motoko repeated her thanks to her sister. She then looked at Kitsune and asked sweetly, this time without any undercurrent of menace, "Do you still believe our skills are lacking?"

Uncomfortable at being put on the spot, Kitsune responded, "No, no. Sorry, just a bit of a joke."

Motoko took that at face value, before she turned to Keitaro and declared, "That was a pretty good practice, but I think it's time for a bath now. Would you care to join me Kei-kun?"

"Of course."

An ember of latent jealousy in Naru flared up spectacularly. "Hey! You two can't take a bath together!"

"Why not?" Motoko asked plainly.

"Because… because…" Naru trailed off. 'Because I still love your husband, and I wish that I could be the one bathing with him.' "You're right, there's no reason you can't," Naru continued in a resigned air. But in one last show of defiance she stalked up to Motoko and quietly hissed, "But don't do anything perverted in our bath!"

Motoko appeared to be taken aback. "We would never do such a thing in the bath," she replied indignantly. Mrs. Aoyama then smirked and added, "We've found that it's far more fun to do that AFTER the bath." She found Naru's rattled expression to be most entertaining. The young swordswoman then took Keitaro's offered hand, intertwined her fingers with his, and the two of them headed for the springs.

As she watched the two of them walk away, Naru found herself silently cursing the continuing feelings she was having for Keitaro, as well as a bit of regret that things hadn't worked out between the two of them. 'This may be harder than I expected,' she silently contemplated. Dealing with her loss had been easy when he wasn't there, but seeing him again had dredged up bittersweet memories. 'Am I going to have to get over him yet again? Oh well, maybe the third time's the charm,' she thought to herself with gallows humour.

XXX

"Ooohh, Kei-kun…," cooed Motoko.

"Yes Mo-chan," Keitaro replied, struggling to concentrate on what he was doing.

"Right there, once more…, Aah, that's it…," Any further comments were forgotten as Motoko luxuriated in the ministrations of Keitaro's hands.

Keitaro let out a lengthy breath and took a moment to consider the results of his efforts. "You know, sometimes this is a lot of hard work."

"You're the one who suggested it."

"What would the others think?"

"That's unimportant," Motoko replied dismissively. "We both enjoy it, it doesn't matter what the others think about it. I love that you enjoy washing my hair."

Keitaro smiled at that. "Did I rinse all of the shampoo out?"

Motoko slowly ran her hands through her hair. "Yes, that last bucket did it."

Their washings complete, the Aoyamas walked over to the hot spring for a morning soak. Keitaro sat down first and then Motoko sat down and leaned back against him, her back against his chest, at which point he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Motoko considered where she was for a few seconds and smiled to herself as she recalled what would have happened if Keitaro had tried something like this over a year ago. 'I would have tried to kill him, and Naru would have cheerfully helped,' she mused. She shook her head in wonderment; it was now inconceivable to her that she had once acted like that to the man she loved. 'Well, they sat you always hurt the one you love, but that was ridiculous.'

After morning sickness, a rather tense breakfast, and the rooftop battle, Motoko was relishing the chance to just relax in the bath with her husband. The hot water was calming, and it soothed muscles that were sore after the activity on the roof. As she lounged there, feeling Keitaro's heartbeat next to her, she allowed herself to try to forget the pregnancy and all its potential difficulties. Keitaro unknowingly helped her out when he slid his hands up her stomach until they were supporting her breasts and kissed her on the nape of her neck. "Hmmm, no fooling around in the bath, remember?" she asked half-heartedly.

"I know, I know, I'm just being affectionate, that's all." Keitaro replied.

"Oh really?" Motoko teased, reaching down with her right hand, her eyebrows rising when she made a discovery. "Either you brought your sword into the bath, or you're real happy to see me."

"I told you, damn thing's got a mind of its own," Keitaro replied sheepishly.

"I know. Besides, it's not like you're in the mood every morning."

"No, that's your job."

Motoko playfully smacked Keitaro for that. "Is there something wrong with me enjoying the physical part of our marriage?"

"'Enjoy' isn't a strong enough word, but no there isn't. I always thought it was the husband who was supposed to be the perpetually aroused partner."

"Are you disappointed at the way things are?"

Drawing Motoko closer to him, Keitaro embraced her tightly and replied, "Not on your life. It's 'different', not 'bad'." In truth, Keitaro was starting to get aroused by the intimacy and closeness of the situation, but they'd promised not to, and Keitaro was also thinking about when they'd see the doctor later that afternoon.

About fifteen minutes, and a few more heart-felt kisses later, the Aoyamas reluctantly got out of the bath and got dressed. One last deep kiss, and the two of the opened the door and walked out of the changing room and into the hall. Quite unusually, there hadn't been a single interruption while they'd bathed, and this was partially due to the sign on the door that read:

WARNING!

THE AOYAMAS

ARE CURRENTLY BATHING!

STAY OUT!

A bigger reason for not being disturbed was the fact that the note had been stuck to the door with a tanto, thus backing up any implied threats.

Now back in their familiar outfits, the two of them bid their goodbyes and left for the appointment with the doctor. Once again, they held hands as they walked, but there was no conversation, not even small talk, for as they walked they were both lost in thought, still trying to come to grips with the impending reality that they would be parents in the not too distant future.

They arrived at the doctors' office, registered, and while Motoko filled out the myriad selection of forms, Keitaro tried to pass the time by reading the current magazines. 'Current' meaning 'having been published during the Reagan administration. When news that was almost two decades old wasn't able to hold his interest, he ended up sitting and fidgeting, until the nurse called out, "Motoko Aoyama?"

"Yes?" Motoko replied nervously, her cramped wrist testament to the sheer volume of paperwork.

Taking the forms, the nurse continued. "Come with me, the doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse then handed Motoko a specimen jar and said, "Please provide a urine sample, and I'll take a blood sample when you are finished."

"Why?" asked Keitaro.

"Just routine," replied the nurse.

Motoko looked at the specimen jar, grimaced, and then proceeded into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came back out, entered the observation room, and sat down at the table. She silently lifted up her sleeve and allowed the nurse to take a sample of her blood. After completing this task, the nurse thanked her, and Keitaro and Motoko waited for the doctor.

Less than two minutes later, the door opened and the doctor, a striking woman in her mid-thirties with bluish tinted hair walked in. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, I'm Naoko Akagi, your doctor. I understand that you're expecting your first child?"

"That's correct," replied Motoko.

Dr. Akagi smiled warmly at that. "Congratulations you two! Now, how can I help you?"

"What's going to happen?" Keitaro and Motoko blurted out in unison.

Chuckling slightly, Dr. Akagi replied, "There's a lot to explain, I need to ask you some questions. First of all, how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

While looking at a clipboard and making notations on the chart, Dr. Akagi continued her questioning. "Do you drink?"

"Only socially, maybe Kei-kun and I would share a bottle of sake, or we'd have some wine with dinner. But I haven't taken a drink since I found out I was pregnant."

Nodding in approval the doctor continued. "Very good, you mustn't drink AT ALL during pregnancy. Do you use any illicit drugs?"

"Absolutely not!" responded Motoko, insulted at the very suggestion.

"Sorry, please don't take this personally, I have to ask," she apologized. "Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Are you regularly around people who smoke?"

"Yes, but Haruka hasn't smoked near me since she found out I'm pregnant."

"Good, good, second hand smoke isn't healthy for anyone, especially pregnant women. Do you have any pets?"

A little confused by this question, Motoko replied, "Um…, yes, a flying turtle."

Dr. Akagi stopped cold and looked up at that. "A what?"

"Er, a hot springs turtle," interjected Keitaro. "We call it a 'flying turtle' because it's front flippers are big, they look like wings."

"I see…"

"Doctor, why did you want to know about pets?" inquired Motoko.

"It's cats specifically. Cat dander can cause respiratory problems in newborns. I always recommend that any expectant mothers get rid off any pet cats," explained Dr. Akagi.

"I understand," replied Motoko. "Well, there aren't any cats in the house."

"Enough of my questions, what would you two like to know?"

"What, what can I expect?" Motoko asked nervously.

"You're six weeks along, correct?" When Motoko nodded, Dr. Akagi continued. "First of all, you're probably experiencing the joy of morning sickness. You're likely to have that for the first three months or so."

"Why?" Motoko asked bleakly. "I hate having to throw up in the morning."

"I know, I didn't like it either," Dr. Akagi replied knowingly.

"Oh, you have a child too?"

"Yes, a daughter, Ritsuko. As for why, there are a few causes; hormone imbalances, too little vitamin B6 or too little glycogen, that's one of your bodies natural sugars. As well, emotions or strong smells can also cause nausea."

"Is there something I can take?" Motoko asked hopefully.

Dr. Akagi shook her head. "No, no medication is recommended. I'd suggest chamomile tea, or dry toast in the morning. As well, some women find that spearmint aromatherapy eases nausea. While we're on the subject of food, you should try to follow a healthy diet during your pregnancy. Lay-off spicy or rich foods, eat sensibly, follow a pregnancy diet, and be careful of following cravings. If you have a craving for something sensible, follow it, but if you're craving something like cheeseburgers, try to find a healthier option. Fortunately, the cravings usually disappear after the forth month."

As the Aoyamas sat there and absorbed what the doctor had told them, the doctor continued with her roll call of pregnancy issues. "You may also experience tiredness, headaches, a feeling of faintness, bladder problems, specifically a constant need to urinate, and breast swelling."

"Breast…swelling…?" repeated Keitaro.

"Yes, as your wife's pregnancy continues, her breasts will prepare to manufacture breast milk, and they'll get bigger as a result. She may find that she needs to get a bigger bra."

"But I don't wear a bra," protested Motoko.

"You might end up needing it for support, as the pregnancy progresses," Dr. Akagi replied. "It can help reduce the possibility of stretch marks forming."

"What about physical activity?" asked Keitaro, thinking about their daily exercise regimen.

"Don't go overboard with it. If you were healthy before, then exercise shouldn't be a problem, as long as it isn't too strenuous."

Motoko winced slightly at that. Her worst fear, that she'd have to start taking it easy when practicing, was coming true. "Can, can you define 'strenuous'?"

"Some activities that should be avoided are sprinting, jogging more than two miles a day, skiing, contact sports, and any callisthenic activity not designed for pregnancy, such as anything that uses jumping, lots of bending, sudden changes in direction, that sort of thing," the doctor replied.

Motoko sighed in disappointment as the prospect of a life without kendo, even if it was only temporary, sank in.

Keitaro, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to ask Motoko to lay of the kendo for a while, since the doctor had done it for him.

Thinking about exercise caused Motoko to suddenly consider something else she and Keitaro did that could be considered strenuous. "What about sex?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"What about it?" asked Dr. Akagi. "Sex during pregnancy can be even more enjoyable than before. There's no pressure to produce a child, no worrying about protection, you can both just enjoy it."

"But, can't it harm the baby?" asked Keitaro.

"Absolutely not," answered the doctor. "That being said however, if it causes pain or bleeding, you should stop and come to see me. In some rare cases, sex during the entire pregnancy is impossible, but only in a small number of cases," she continued reassuringly.

The Aoyamas both considered the prospect of year without lovemaking and cringed in perfect synchronization.

"That's depressing," admitted Motoko. "I feel like I need a hot bath after hearing that."

"No, you don't," interjected Dr. Akagi suddenly. "Warm baths only when you're pregnant, anything over 100 degrees Fahrenheit can harm the fetus."

"But, but we have a hot spring," stammered Keitaro.

"Then stay the hell out of it," the doctor replied. "From now until the birth, warm baths or showers only."

Motoko looked almost as stricken at this notion as she'd been with the possibility of a year of chastity. Sensing her disappointment, Keitaro told her, "I'll quit using it too. If you can't use it, I won't either." Motoko found that she was unable to reply to that heartfelt gesture, so she simply reached over and embraced him.

"These are just the physical effects," Dr. Akagi added. "The mental effects can be even more difficult. The hormone influences can cause mood swings, and you have to be willing to forgive each other's snappiness at times. But seeing you two, I'm certain you'll be able to get through this together."

"It's just…we've been through a lot together. I was hoping that this would be an easier time for us," Keitaro replied softly.

"You'll do fine, all first time parents are nervous," the doctor said reassuringly. "Listen, I'll give you some pamphlets, you should also get a few books for expectant parents, and come back to see me in a month. You'll have a better idea by then, and you'll know what's coming. But if you think something's wrong, don't hesitate to see me, and I'll try to make sure that everything will be fine."

"Thank you Dr. Akagi," Motoko responded gratefully. "We'll see you then." With that Motoko and Keitaro got up and walked out of the room, confirmed the next appointment with the receptionist, and exited the clinic.

The two of them walked in silence, arm in arm, until Motoko asked, "Kei-kun, would you mind if I picked up some of those books myself? I think I need a little time alone, to consider what the doctor said."

"No, I don't mind," responded Keitaro. "Will you be all right?"

Motoko gave her husband a bemused smile. "I'm pregnant, not made of glass. I'll be fine."

"Okay Mo-chan, I'll see you later. Love you."

"I love you too, Kei-kun." She kissed him goodbye and went on her way.

Keitaro watched Motoko walk away for a few moments before he turned around and resumed walking back to Hinata House. Walking through the city, he took note of his surroundings and was surprised at his disappointment that nothing had really changed in his absence. There were a few new shops here and there, but by in large everything had stayed the same. He supposed that it should be comforting that nothing had really changed, but it made him feel out of sync, as he had experienced a dramatic shift while he was away.

As he mulled over these thoughts, Keitaro continued his journey back to Hinata House. Quicker than he expected, Keitaro found himself at the bottom of the stairs of the house, and he realized that he was hesitant to climb them alone. Knowing that he would have to get used to living back here, he forced himself to go up and re-enter the residence. "I'm back," he called out to no one in particular.

"Hello Keitaro," replied Kitsune from her spot on the couch. She looked up and noticed that he was alone. "Where's Motoko?"

Remembering Kitsune's hostility from the day before, Keitaro replied, "She wanted some time alone to take care of some things."

Kitsune recalled what Naru had told her about her attempts to make peace with the Aoyamas and decided that perhaps it was a good time to talk to him. 'No time like the present,' she thought grimly. "Can I, can I talk to you Keitaro? In private?"

"Sure," Keitaro replied. His tone made it obvious that he wasn't that enthusiastic about it. "Where?"

"Your room, I guess."

Keitaro couldn't think of any reason to object to her choice, so he nodded and gestured with his head for her to follow him. The two of them went up the stairs and entered his room, Keitaro making sure that the door was closed behind him.

"Would you like some tea?" he offered, making an attempt to be a gracious host.

"No," Kitsune replied. She took a few seconds to figure out how to begin, before she decided to just cut to the chase, being mindful of not being too hostile. "Why did you two come back?"

Keitaro sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't expected this to be pleasant, and he felt some perverse satisfaction at having successfully anticipated Kitsune's first question. "I told you last night, we needed-"

"No, that isn't what I meant," interrupted Kitsune. "I meant, why would you be willing to put Naru through the wringer again?"

"I didn't expect that it would be that hard for her. Honestly, I wasn't sure how she'd feel after so long."

"Well, it's not like you were here to check up on her," Kitsune replied curtly.

Keitaro felt his own hackles rise at the thinly veiled insult. "Do you really think that I should have stayed after I chose Motoko? Do you think that that would have been better?"

Kitsune bit back her intended barb and took a deep breath to try to calm herself. "No, it probably wouldn't have been," she grudgingly conceded. "But since you raised the point, why'd you make your choice in front of everyone? Couldn't you have done it in private?"

"And everyone wouldn't have listened in?" Keitaro replied sceptically.

Annoyed that Keitaro once again had her range and coordinates dialled in, Kitsune replied, "Well, you could have tried to break it to her gently."

Shaking his head sadly, Keitaro remarked, "Someone was going to be hurt that day, no matter who I chose, or how I did it. I figured that it was best to get it over with. If there'd been a better way, I didn't know what it was."

Nothing further was said for a few minutes, until Kitsune asked, "Couldn't you have come back to visit earlier? I mean, nothing for nearly a year, and then you're both here, big as life, and pregnant to boot."

"Would we have been welcomed earlier?" Keitaro asked sombrely. "Would it have really bothered everyone if we'd never come back? Quite honestly, I'm not certain we'd have come back if it wasn't for the baby."

"Did you plan the pregnancy so you could come back?" inquired Kitsune.

"No, we didn't plan on this," Keitaro replied truthfully.

"So it was a mistake." As soon as the words had left her mouth, Kitsune winced as she belatedly realized the implication of that statement. She noticed that Keitaro had frozen at her words, but that his expression was changing to something she'd never seen on him before. His eyes seemed to flash briefly and his fists clenched tightly at this sides. The look of cold fury on his face was uncharacteristic for him, and Kitsune actually felt a pang of fear for her own safety.

Through tightly clenched teeth, Keitaro softly, methodically, and dangerously rasped, "Don't you EVER refer to our child as a 'mistake' again." No threat was given, but Kitsune was able to clearly read between the lines.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was a horrible choice of words," Kitsune babbled. "I meant that it was unexpected, that's all. But shouldn't you have expected this sooner or later?" Kitsune experienced a physical sense of relief when Keitaro's expression softened.

"Lucky shot," he murmured softly.

"Excuse me?"

"We didn't plan on having children, at least not now. We'd even taken measures to reduce the possibility of pregnancy."

"You mean Motoko was on the pill?" Kitsune speculated.

Keitaro shook his head in response. "No, I used, um, protection. I didn't use it at first, in fact we didn't use anything for the first two months. Frankly, as often as we did it, I'm amazed that we didn't get pregnant then."

A mild twitch manifested itself on Kitsune's eyebrows. Talking with Keitaro about Motoko and his sex life wasn't why she'd come into the room. With morbid curiosity she asked, "So what happened?"

"Motoko thought she was pregnant once, and we sweated it out for three days until, uh…her cycle resumed," Keitaro replied uncomfortably. "After that, we realized that we weren't exactly ready to have children, so I started using condoms."

"I see. So what happened, did one break?"

"No, but about two months ago Motoko and I were duelling in the forest, we got into a close exchange, one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know we were up against a tree and…" Keitaro broke off abruptly.

A distant look came over Keitaro's features, as he found himself reliving that afternoon. The still, sultry air, the blazing sun, the few degrees of relief afforded by the shade of the trees.

Motoko and him in an all out duel, exertion etched onto their faces. Sweat soaked clothing, clinging to both of them, making them itch.

Swords knocked away, both combatants resorting to hand-to-hand combat. A clench. Stalemate, neither side able to move.

A look into each others eyes, seeing the emotions there.

Intensity.

Competitiveness.

Love.

A hunger not borne of food.

An intense, almost desperate, kiss.

The scarcely remembered shuffling over to a tree for support.

Frantic hands tearing at clothing.

Animalistic desire.

Unabashed, unashamed, passionate cries shattering the silence.

Keitaro found himself blushing, as he recalled the heat and intensity of that encounter, and forced himself to not smile at that memory. He didn't entirely succeed. "Never mind. Let's just say that in the heat of the moment, we both forgot."

That had been way too much information for Kitsune, and she now felt completely frazzled. Desperate to regain her composure and refocus the discussion she asked, "Do you have any idea of what Naru went through after you two left?"

"No. What happened?" Keitaro replied quietly.

"She didn't come out of her room for days, she isolated herself completely. It took us two weeks to get her to something approaching normal." Kitsune's voice was rising in pitch as she spoke and she was gesticulating wildly with her arms. "What am I supposed to think when you come back and give the knife another twist?!"

Once again, Keitaro sighed. "Do you know how I feel about Naru?" he asked.

"I haven't really thought about that since you left," Kitsune replied.

"I, I, I actually did love her," Keitaro admitted. "In a way, I still do, but it's not the same as it once was."

"Oh really?" Kitsune spat. "Then what's it like now?"

Keitaro pondered the question for a few minutes before he gave his answer. "I'd say it's like the love for a sister, or a very dear friend. I think it started changing to that about a month after Motoko and I started training, but it took me while to realize that."

"If you once loved Naru, why did you fall in love with Motoko?" That question was the one that had been bothering Kitsune since Keitaro had made his choice nearly one year earlier.

"Being with Motoko, and training with her allowed me to see a side of her that no one else knew was there. -I- didn't know it was there. Over time, I grew to know her, and I eventually realized that while I would anything for either of them, I loved Motoko, right down to my soul, for reasons that are between her and I."

"But Tsuruko manipulated you!" Kitsune protested.

"So what? However it happened, I still love Motoko. Naru will always be special to me, and I never wanted to hurt her, but my heart belongs to Motoko. Now and forever."

Taking note of the sincerity in his eyes, Kitsune found herself being uncertain of how she felt about Keitaro. He may not have been a saint, but maybe he wasn't the bastard she'd once thought of him as. Not knowing what to say, she excused herself and started heading for the door. But before she reached the exit, Keitaro called out to her. "One question before you go Kitsune."

"What?"

"Why the 'I heard' comment this morning?"

Kitsune paled. "You heard that?" she asked weakly. When he nodded, she attempted to use her indignity to her advantage. "Yeah, I heard you two last night, and Naru may have heard you too. Neither of you are that quiet." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Even if I hadn't heard, all you have to do is walk in here to figure out that something happened."

Keitaro blushed in embarrassment at Kitsune's declaration, but he managed to respond with some determination. "We ARE married, and it is our house. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but we won't be stopping."

"Fine," muttered Kitsune, as she placed one hand on the door to open it.

"But, did you just happen to hear us, or were you eavesdropping?" inquired Keitaro.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me, were you trying to spy on us?" Keitaro repeated. He then decided to see if he could rattle Kitsune's cage with a little teasing of his own. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were jealous or something."

Kitsune didn't respond verbally to that, she just gave Keitaro a glare hard enough to shatter diamond. She then threw the door open, stalked out, and slammed it shut.

'What was that?' a startled Keitaro wondered.

Outside in the hallway, Kitsune stomped into her own room and locked the door. She grabbed a bottle of sake and pounded it back, not even using a cup. Finished, she slammed the empty bottle down and laid down on her futon.

He hadn't realized it, but Keitaro's comment had hit closer to home than Kitsune liked. One of the emotions that she kept buried deep inside her was loneliness. She had friends of course, but she'd never really had any luck with boyfriends. It secretly upset her that Motoko was only nineteen and she was already married and expecting a child. At twenty-three, Kitsune hadn't had a single relationship that had lasted six months.

She'd made excuses about stresses from her job, not finding the right guy, and that she wasn't interested, but she longed to find someone to share her life with. 'Oh wait, there are some men I've had long term relationships with,' she thought bitterly. 'Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, John Jameson…'

Very rarely, Kitsune found herself wondering if she took too much solace from alcohol. However, over the past year those times were increasing in frequency. Once again, she dealt with this feeling the way she always had, by getting another bottle of alcohol. Booze may have been empty comfort, but it was still comfort. As the burning liquid coursed down her throat, she felt the familiar beginnings of intoxication start to affect her. The first inkling of eventual oblivion started to make all of her cares and worries fade away, and her problems didn't seem so daunting anymore.

So why was it that she was having a harder time than usual forgetting how lonely she was?

End Chapter Two

Sorry this took so long.

Preread was done by dennisud, crossedeyedbuterfly, and UndeadAnimeFan267. Any mistakes are mine, not theirs.

Disclaimer: Love Hina is the property of Ken Akamatsu, TV Tokyo, TokyoPop, and probably enough lawyers to sink an aircraft carrier.

Dr. Naoko Akagi and any other related characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion are the property of Gainax, and their pack of lawyers.

This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only, and may not be distributed for profit. I'm not making any money off of this; I am doing it just for personal enjoyment. Please don't sue.

I am not making this a crossover fic, I just needed a physician. I was too lazy to create one of my own, so I just poached one from another series. I promise that no other EVA characters will put in an appearance.

SPECIAL MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: While I have researched pregnancy for this story, it is not intended to be used as a guide for pregnancy. If you are pregnant, or even if you think you are, see your doctor. I make no promises on the accuracy of the information in this story.


	3. All the Time In the World

Disclaimer: See Chapter Two

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

A lemon version of this story is available at AdultFaFfiction(dot)net and MediaMiner(dot)org

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

LIME CONTENT WARNING!!

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter Three: "All the Time In the World"

By: hawker748

'It's funny,' Motoko mused to herself, as she walked through Hinata. 'I never noticed how many people have children with them.' It seemed to the expectant mother that every second person was either pushing a baby stroller, or holding a young child's hand. "That'll be Kei-kun and I in under eight months,' she reflected, as she observed a young couple with a baby girl walking past her.

Motoko's silent consideration of the infant population of Hinata continued until she reached her destination, the bookstore. Walking inside, she looked around for the section on expectant mothers, feeling unusually intimidated when she discovered that it took up several shelves, with dozens of titles to choose from. There were few things that Motoko would admit to being troubled by, but the idea of carrying a child was on that list. After several minutes of consideration, Motoko made her choice, paid for it, went back outside, sat on a bench and started reading.

"Let's see, what should I expect?" she murmured to herself. Motoko started to read the chapter that explained to her, in loving detail, all that she could look forward to before she finally gave birth. 'Nausea, fatigue, moodiness, faintness, frequent urination, headaches, indegestion…' The young swordswoman quit counting at that point, not wanting to be depressed any further. 'I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but this is a bit excessive!'

As Motoko sat there, mortified at some of the worst case scenarios the book outlined, she found herself in the sudden grip of a strange craving.

Chocolate covered pretzels.

Motoko would have killed at that moment for a bag of chocolate covered pretzels. She didn't know why she was craving that, she'd never eaten a chocolate covered pretzel in her life, but now she found herself wanting them by the case. Remembering what she'd read about cravings, and what the doctor had told her, she decided to get something else instead. She got up, walked into a market, purchased a bag of apples, and returned to the bench to continue her reading.

As she began eating the apples on automatic pilot, absently tossing the ravaged cores to the side, she continued to absorb the contents of the book. Motoko lost all track of time while she learned what was in store for her, and her concentration was broken only when she heard someone call out to her.

"Motoko-chan? Is everything al right?"

"Mutsumi?" Motoko replied in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I just went for a walk," the watermelon obsessed woman responded. "Where is Kei-kun? Didn't you two go out together?"

Motoko nodded in reply. "Yes, we went to see the doctor. I just wanted a little time alone, that's all."

"I understand," Mutsumi replied, smiling cheerfully. "What are you reading?"

"A book on pregnancy," Motoko answered, holding the book up so Mutsumi could see. "It's a little scary."

"I think it's wonderful!" exclaimed Mutsumi as she handed the book back and moved to sit next to Motoko on the bench. The gleam in her eyes disappeared momentarily as she noticed something. "Oh my, what are all these apple cores doing here?"

"What do you mean 'all these'? I just had…" Motoko broke off as she noticed just how many apple cores there were lying about. "I…I ate all of them?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't even notice." With a guilty air she quickly picked up the refuse and tossed them into an adjacent trash bin.

"You had a craving for apples?" Mutsumi asked innocently.

"No," responded Motoko. "Chocolate covered pretzels."

A puzzled look came over Mutsumis' face. "So why didn't you eat pretzels?"

"Doctor's orders. She said that you shouldn't always trust cravings, especially if they aren't sensible."

"I see," replied Mutsumi, her brilliant smile back in place. "You know, I once heard that cravings mean your body is lacking a nutrient, maybe you just needed sugar or salt."

"That's possible, I suppose," replied Motoko.

Nothing further was said for a few minutes, as the two women enjoyed the surroundings. Motoko decided that it was a good time to try to mend some fences with the other Hinata House residents. Mentally steeling herself, Motoko tentatively asked, "How, how has Hinata House been, since we left I mean?"

Mutsumi pursed her lips cutely before she responded. "Everything is good at Hinata House, everyone gets along well, there isn't anything to be upset about."

The evasiveness of that answer made Motoko's heart sink. "But what was it like just after we left?"

Mutsumi's cheerful façade eroded away as she recalled the first couple of months after the Aoyamas had left. "It…it wasn't that good."

"How so?" Motoko wasn't certain that she really wanted to know, but there was no way to turn back now.

"Naru was really upset," Mutsumi said reluctantly. "She wouldn't see anyone for a few days, and we could sometimes hear her crying. It took us a couple of days to get her to talk to us again." Mutsumi had a subdued air about her that Motoko couldn't ever remember seeing before. "Even when she did come out of her room, it took a month or so before she was really happy again."

Motoko let out a sigh and closed her eyes, recalling how Keitaro had been after the two of them had left Hinata House. "Kei-kun was really upset at hurting Naru, but he said that he didn't know what else he could have done. The first night all I could do was hold him, comfort him, while he tried to forgive himself."

"I didn't know that," replied Mutsumi quietly.

"How could you have? We had to leave, I don't think we could have stayed."

"Motoko-chan, how do you feel about Naru?"

"She was my friend, I liked her, I looked up to her. And how did I show my thanks to her? I fell in love with the man she loved." Motoko chuckled mirthlessly. "That's not something a friend should do, is it?"

Mutsumi pondered what Motoko had said for a couple of minutes in silence before she spoke again. "You, you could have tried to let him go. They say that loving someone means being willing to let them go."

Motoko looked at Mutsumi and replied, "But sometimes loving someone means holding on to them with everything you've got. I could have tried to let him go, but I knew in my heart that I didn't want to. As much as Naru was my friend, if I had the chance to change it, I wouldn't. Kei-kun means everything to me now, and I can't imagine a life without him, or his child," she added a second later, a soft smile on her face, and gently rubbing her stomach.

"If I'd been in your place, I…I wouldn't have been able to let Kei-kun go either," Mutsumi confessed softly. She then reached over and gently squeezed Motoko's hand. "You're very lucky to be with him."

The young swordswoman didn't know how to respond to that, so she just stayed silent. After a few minutes, she gathered her thoughts and asked Mutsumi another question. "So, what now? Can Naru and I be friends again?" The sombreness in her voice matched perfectly with the expression on her face.

"Yes, I think you can," replied Mutsumi, her expression now having reverted to her normal cheerful one.

"How?" Motoko asked sceptically. "Naru wasn't exactly thrilled to see us again."

"I'm sure she was just surprised. After all, we didn't know you were coming back," Mutsumi answered.

"So what should we do then?" The air of hope and near desperation was tangible in Motoko's voice.

"I'd say that you should try to talk to her in the bath," suggested Mutsumi.

"I can't use the hot springs anymore."

"Oh? Why not?"

"The doctor said that hot water can harm unborn children," replied Motoko.

Mutsumi was at a loss for words. Her two favourite ways of talking to someone, the hot springs or over drinks, were off limits to the expectant Motoko. "How about talking to her over tea?"

"I can try, but I don't know…I want to make peace with her, but I don't know if she wants to."

"It won't hurt to try, Motoko-chan," Mutsumi encouraged.

A half smile appeared on Motoko's features. "I hope you're right Mutsumi."

The two women stayed on the bench for a few minutes, both silently contemplating how to ease some of the tension at Hinata House. Finally, Motoko stood up and said, "I think I should be getting back, will you accompany me?"

Beaming in response, Mutsumi replied, "I'd love to."

The two of them began walking back to Hinata House, Motoko gently probing Mutsumi with more questions to catch up on all that had happened in her absence.

XXX

After Kitsune's unusually abrupt departure, Keitaro sat back and began to contemplate what the doctor had told him and Motoko. He had already reset the thermostat in the managers bath so that Motoko could use it. 'Wait a minute,' he thought as a sudden realization struck him. 'How the hell is she going to use it when she gets, well, big?'

This one thought acted like a match, lighting off many other questions. 'What about all the stairs? Should I have an elevator installed? Where will the baby sleep? What kind of food do we need? Should we be sleeping on these tatami mats? Is it safe for her to walk very far?' A sudden wave of fear gripped Keitaro. 'Calm down, dammit! The baby isn't coming tomorrow!'

Forcing himself to try and calm down, Keitaro took a deep breath and attempted to clear his mind. 'Acting like a chicken with its head cut off isn't going to help Mo-chan. I need to be rational about this.' He took a series of deep, cleansing breaths, and was relieved to feel himself beginning to relax. The former ronin tried to focus on the more enjoyable aspects of approaching fatherhood.

'I wonder if it's a boy or a girl,' Keitaro mused. 'A son would be great, but I wouldn't mind having a daughter either.' He smiled widely as he imagined himself holding a baby girl. 'If she's like her mother or her aunt, she'll be the most beautiful daughter in the world. She'll grow up to be a lovely girl.'

Keitaro's smile started to fade, as a more pessimistic side of his personality began to assert itself. 'Yeah, she'll be gorgeous. All of the guys will be interested in her. Not just the guys her own age either; no, when she's twelve or so, all of those pedophile salarymen out there won't be able to resist her.' By now Keitaro's smile had been replaced by a frown sharp enough to split rock. Not liking this train of thought, but not able to leave it either, Keitaro's musings continued.

'Every punk and child molester in Japan will be after her, and some won't take no for an answer, and she won't be able to protect herself, and then…' A look that promised an extremely slow and excruciating death was carved onto his features. Mentally debating whether to send his daughter to live in a convent, or simply buying her a .12 guage shotgun for her tenth birthday, the overprotective father made an active effort to think of something less depressing. 'The Universe's punishment for enjoying sex,' he thought ruefully. 'You live in mortal terror of your daughter encountering someone just like you at that age.'

Keitaro glanced over at the clock and was surprised at how long he'd been sitting in silent contemplation. 'Shouldn't Mo-chan be back by now?' he wondered. 'She said she wanted time alone, but hasn't this been too long?' He got up and started pacing around the room nervously. 'Could she have gotten hurt, or fallen, and I wasn't there to help her!?'

Objectively, Keitaro knew that Motoko could take care of herself. Tsuruko and Seta were the only people who could realistically challenge her. She wasn't even afraid of turtles anymore, so there was very little that could rattle her cage. Objectively, Keitaro knew that Motoko was fine.

Emotionally however…

Since they'd learned of the pregnancy, Keitaro had been subconsciously treating Motoko as if she was fine china, not so surprising if one considered her complexion. He had awful thoughts about something terrible happening to her if he wasn't there to protect her. The pregnancy had given his protective nature a booster shot, and he fervently, if erroneously, believed that only he could keep her safe. He continued to pace nervously, threatening to wear a groove into the floorboards, until he saw Mutsumi and Motoko reach the top of the Hinata House steps through the window.

Keitaro ceased pacing mid-stride and practically sprang out of the room into the hallway. In an odd reversal of roles, Su found herself swept of her feet as Keitaro roared through the halls, moving like his tail feathers were on fire, not noticing the turbulence he was creating. He made it to the entrance in a time Olympic sprinters would have quailed at, and breathlessly made sure that his wife was okay. "Is, is something wrong Mo-chan?" he gasped.

For a moment, Motoko stood there, blinking in surprise at the look of near panic on Keitaro's features. "No, nothing's wrong Kei-kun. I just went to get a book, and I stopped to read it for a while. Then I met up with Mutsumi, and we just chatted a for a while, that's all."

"I didn't think that you'd be gone so long, I was worried!" Keitaro replied breathlessly.

Motoko found herself frowning at his reply. On one hand, she appreciated that Keitaro was concerned about her, and that he cared for her well-being. She'd admit, guiltily, that she liked knowing that he worried about her.

But on the other hand, Keitaro was acting, if only unconsciously, a little condescending, as if she couldn't take care of herself. She wasn't going to accept that at all, and she decided to nip this little idiosyncrasy in the bud right now. "Kei-kun," she said, using the tone of voice that all husbands know and fear, "I said I'd be fine. I'm not made of glass."

Hearing Motoko use The Voice, as he thought of it, Keitaro realized that he'd upset her, and he frantically tried to defend himself. "But, but, I was just… you were gone for so long…"

Sighing in exasperation, Motoko replied, "Kei-kun, I know you mean well, and I appreciate it, really, I do. But I'm not helpless, I don't need to be coddled."

Relieved that his wife was speaking to him in somewhat more affectionate tones, Keitaro replied, "I know, I know. I can't believe that I let myself get so worked up, I guess I have a too vivid imagination." Keitaro found himself staring at the tops of his feet, too embarrassed to look Motoko in the eyes right now. He did look up when he felt her hand on his cheek.

"I don't expect you not worry Kei-kun, but I promise you I won't do anything that will jeopardize me or our child." The look on Motoko's face was half affection and half bemusement.

Keitaro reached up and gently squeezed Motoko's hand. They stared into each others eyes for a few moments, and they may have even kissed, had not Mutsumi spoken up and reminded the two of them that she was there.

"I'll help anyway that I can, Motoko-chan." Her proclamation caused the young couple to realize that they had an audience. They blushed, moved a little bit further apart, but they continued to hold hands.

"Thank, thank you Mutsumi," replied Motoko self-consciously. Keitaro nodded in agreement.

"So Mo-chan," Keitaro continued. "Did you find what you wanted?"

"What did she want?" interjected Tsuruko, coming up behind the three of them.

"Ah, Tsuruko! I was looking for a pregnancy guide book, and I found one," Motoko replied as she handed it over to her elder sister.

Tsuruko gave the book a cursory glance. "Good choice, a friend of mine used this for her baby."

"That's good, I guess," Keitaro added. "So Mo-chan, did you learn anything new?"

"Only that it will be more difficult than I first imagined," she replied.

Taking note of the resignation in her voice, Keitaro made an impulse decision to try to raise her spirits. "Would you like to go out for dinner tonight? Just the two of us?"

"It's been 'just the two of us' for most of our marriage," Motoko answered wryly.

"True, but we've never really been anyplace really romantic," Keitaro countered.

"I thought 'romantic' was defined by the company, not the location," teased Motoko. "I think I'm insulted."

Feeling exasperated, Keitaro pressed on. "Haven't you ever wanted to go someplace classy? You know, candlelit, string quartets, that sort of restaurant."

Motoko thought about that for a few moments. "I suppose that would be nice," she mused. "Okay Kei-kun, it's a date."

Keitaro smiled widely. "Great, let me go make some reservations." With this he bid his farewell to Tsuruko and Mutsumi and went to his room to call in a reservation.

"Quite the catch isn't he?" remarked Tsuruko after Keitaro had left.

"And then some…"

"Mutsumi?"

"Oh my, was that out loud? Sorry Motoko-chan."

Motoko shook her head. "Don't worry about it. If you'll excuse me, I need to read more of this book," she said as she headed for the living room to resume her research.

XXX

'Where is she?' wondered Naru. 'I really need to talk to her and I can't even find her!' Naru had checked Kitsunes' usual haunts, the kitchen, dining room, living room, and the hot springs. Naru nearly smacked herself on the head as she realized that she hadn't thought to check her room. She walked up to the door and knocked on it, opening it a few inches as she did so, to see if she was there. "Kitsune? Are you in here? I'd really like…"

The rest of her question would remain unspoken as Naru noticed that Kitsune was in fact in her room. She was sleeping peacefully on her futon, completely oblivious to the outside world. The former ronin was about to quietly walk away when she noticed something else resting peacefully on the futon. A sake bottle. 'No, make that several sake bottles,' Naru corrected silently. Concern overriding discretion, she walked in, picked the empty bottles up and put them on the night table.

'Five bottles,' Naru thought. 'She's really started early.' The smell of alcohol was strong in the room, and the majority of the odor wasn't from today. Looking down on the sleeping Kitsune, 'No not sleeping,' Naru corrected, 'out-cold,' she felt a pang of concern over her friends constant drinking.

'Why do you do it?' Naru wondered, and not for the first time. 'To forget? To escape? And if so, what? Couldn't you just talk with me? I thought we were friends. What's so terrible that you have to drown it in booze?' She thought back to all of the times Kitsune had gotten drunk, and although Kitsune never got obnoxious when she was intoxicated, it still troubled Naru that she couldn't think of her friend without a drink in her hand. 'One of these days I'm going to have to do something for her. She's always been here for me, why haven't I tried to help her with this?' Naru covered her with a blanket and quietly walked out, closing the door behind her.

Walking through the hall, Naru encountered Tsuruko, who nodded to her as she passed. Naru would never remember what prompted her next action. Perhaps it was her concern over Kitsune, and her inability to do anything for her; perhaps lingering anger over Tsuruko's meddling. Or maybe Naru had just had enough, and felt that she needed to do something, anything. "Tsuruko," she called out, a little more forcefully than she'd intended.

Tsuruko stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Yes," she asked pleasantly, seemingly immune to the look Naru was giving her.

"We need to talk. Now." It was not a suggestion, or a request.

"Certainly," Tsuruko replied amiably. "What about?"

"Not here. In private. My room." 'Who's saying this?' wondered Naru. 'I can't be talking with Tsuruko so forcefully, can I?'

"After you," the elder Aoyama gestured politely.

Naru wordlessly headed upstairs, Tsuruko following a couple of feet behind her. Naru was walking a little heavier than normal when she entered her room. She waited until Tsuruko had closed and locked the door behind her before unleashing over a years pent-up fury and frustration.

"How dare you take Keitaro away from me!" Naru shrieked, not at all caring that almost anyone could hear her.

"I beg your pardon?" Tsuruko asked innocently, not at al ruffled by Naru's display of temper.

"You heard me!" Naru snarled. "You made him fall in love with Motoko! You took him away from me!" The emotionally distraught young woman felt the familiar tendrils of sadness that always occurred when she thought of Keitaro. But instead of trying to suppress them, she embraced them, using them to stoke the fires of her rage.

With a surreal sense of calm, Tsuruko replied, "I didn't take him from you. And neither did Motoko."

Naru's rage went supercritical. "You caused all of this!"

"Yes, I did meddle, perhaps. I tried to influence the outcome, certainly. But I didn't take him from you," Tsuruko finished, still smiling benignly.

"You just admitted it!"

"'Meddle' and 'take' are two very different things," Tsuruko explained patiently.

"What's the difference?!" snarled Naru. By now her fist were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white, and she was standing on the balls of her feet.

"To 'take' or 'steal' would imply that Keitaro was yours."

"He was mine! I loved him! He loved me! And you and Motoko stole him!"

"How did you know that he loved you?" Tsuruko asked casually.

"He told me! After he broke his leg!" Naru was bolstered by what she viewed as the absolute truth of that statement.

Tsuruko took Naru's triumphant statement in stride. "And you loved Keitaro?"

"YES!"

"Did you ever tell him that?"

Those six words, spoken in such an easy-going manner, hit Naru like a falling steel girder; completely unexpected, and devastating in its effect. She found herself unable to say anything other than "What?"

"Did you ever tell Keitaro that you loved him?" Tsuruko repeated.

A memory came rushing back to Naru. She grabbed at it desperately, hoping to use it against Tsuruko. "YES! I did!"

A mildly surprised look came over Tsuruko's face. "Really? When?"

"Right after they got back…from the picnic." The strength left Naru halfway through her declaration, when she belatedly realized the implication.

"So, you didn't tell him until after he was married," concluded Tsuruko.

"But, but I still loved him! And he loved me! What difference does it make?"

Smiling in the manner of a predator that has trapped its' prey, Tsuruko continued. "Do you think that Keitaro would have gone along with Motoko's deception if he'd truly believed that you loved him?"

Naru's rage was annihilated, a moth caught in a blast furnace. All her anger, fury and frustration were burned away in an instant, as she was forced to admit something that she'd tried to deny for nearly a year. "No," she whispered.

Tsuruko sighed patiently, like a parent forced to explain something to an unwilling child. "If I'd thought that Keitaro's heart truly belonged to another, I wouldn't have forced him to marry Motoko."

With this reminder some of Naru's fire came back. "You still forced him to marry her! If I'd had a little more time-"

"How long had you known him?" interrupted Tsuruko.

"Almost two years."

"How much of that time did you love him? Whether you admitted it or not?"

"About half," Naru answered weakly.

Tsuruko nodded to herself. "Then you should have told him or stepped aside. You wasted a great deal of time," she stated matter of factly.

Tsuruko's logic was unassailable, Naru reluctantly admitted to herself. Unwillingly, she found herself mentally replaying incidents throughout the relationship where she could have told him, and had even thought about it, but had decided that the time wasn't right. If she'd known that there was a time limit, she'd have acted. 'I just assumed that I had all the time in the world,' she thought sadly.

Anger flared up once again. "You still had no right to do that to us!"

"I did it for my sister."

"Why did she need your help?" Every syllable of that question was drenched in venom.

"Motoko did care for Keitaro, but she'd never acted on it. I wasn't ready to let her lose him without doing anything. I may have started the process, but they finished it."

"You didn't answer my question," hissed Naru. "Why did she need your help?"

"Motoko and Keitaro have a special chemistry between them. Have you noticed that Naru?" When Naru simply scowled in response, Tsuruko continued. "Despite intial impressions, the two of them compliment each other very well. Motoko was dedicated to nothing but the sword, while Keitaro was dedicated to fulfilling some childhood promise. They both focused on different goals, but they chased them with an equal vigor."

"So they're both driven to succeed, regardless of the odds," responded Naru. "So what? Lots of people are like that. Hell, I worked for years to get into Tokyo University."

"Yes, that's true," replied Tsuruko. "But you hadn't been pursuing that dream since you were a child, have you? Motoko has been trying to live up to my example since she could walk. In that regard, Motoko and Keitaro are quite similar, 'kindred souls' if you will. And besides, they do work well together. They do make such an adorable little couple."

Naru stood there, absorbing Tsuruko's soliloquy, trying to determine whether her logic was brilliant or insane. But before she could come to a decision, Tsuruko fired off another salvo.

"Even if you ignore all that," Tsuruko continued. "There was a more practical reason for me to meddle in Keitaro and Motoko's relationship."

"Oh, really?" spat Naru.

"Yes," Tsuruko stated plainly. "Motoko thought of you as a friend, and she would like to again, I believe. You were her 'sempai', and as such it would have been unseemly of her to try to make a move on Keitaro, regardless of her feelings for him." Tsuruko's smile grew even wider. "Fortunately, as her big sister, I had no such restrictions against meddling."

Naru found that she was having a difficult time keeping her rage hot. She was still upset, but she didn't think that she was capable of erupting anymore. She felt strangely burnt out after listening to Tsuruko's explanation.

"After all," Tsuruko continued, "There was no guarantee that a relationship between them would work."

Naru made a questioning noise, her capacity to speak not up to its usual standards.

"If Keitaro had chosen to stay with you, I would have not interfered. If Motoko hadn't fallen in love with him, I wouldn't have forced them to stay together. Any number of things could have changed the outcome, even you Naru."

"Me?" she replied weakly.

"Yes. I don't think lowly of you, or hold anything against you, and if Keitaro had decided to be with you, I would have offered congratulations."

"Then why'd you do this to me?"

"You're not family. My main concerns were Motoko's feelings, not yours. For what it's worth, I'm sorry if I caused you pain, it wasn't personal."

Naru felt numb. She couldn't get angry, and she was surprised to notice that sadness wasn't manifesting itself either. Her emotions would be back of course, but right now she felt nothing. The shell-shocked woman barely even noticed that Tsuruko had excused herself and left.

Naru had often considered, imagined, dreamed, even fantasized, how a confrontation between Tsuruko and herself would play itself out. She'd considered many scenarios, but this one had never even been contemplated. Tsuruko had calmly, methodically, and most infuriating of all, effectively, dodged or blunted all of her arguments. She'd freely admitted to meddling, but Naru had been forced to admit that she could have undone or prevented that meddling. Tsuruko was still partially to blame for the loss of Keitaro, but Naru hadn't done much to ensure that it would have been impossible. 'Three little words,' Naru thought to herself miserably.

She sat there, motionless save for her breathing, considering how she was responsible as anyone else for her own fate. Naru wanted to blame someone, anyone, but deep down, she knew that she was deserving of a big slice of that blame herself. 'I still have to figure out how I'm going to deal with Keitaro and Motoko,' she mused. She resolved to talk to them, but not right now. Right now she just wanted to be alone for a while, and try to pick up the pieces of her shattered psyche.

XXX

Sound radiates out from its source in all directions. The closer one is to the source of the sound, and the volume, determine how well a listener can hear it. Some building materials, such as foam or fibreglass batting, are effective at suppressing sound, and are even sold commercially as sound-proofing material. However, wooden floorboards and ceiling beams not only do not effectively block sound, they can even assist in the transmission of sound by resonating, allowing someone to hear their vibrations.

Keitaro was in his room, having just finished making the dinner reservations, when Motoko walked in. Her greeting was immediately drowned out from overhead by Naru's opening shriek at Tsuruko. The Aoyamas looked up in surprise; while they were the subject of the exchange between Naru and Tsuruko, they weren't intended to be party to it. But at the same time, neither really wanted to step away and give the two speakers their privacy.

Besides, it wasn't like they were eavesdropping, right? They could hear Naru clearly, and they didn't have to strain, too hard anyway, to hear Tsuruko, so it wasn't really listening in. It was like overhearing a conversation between two people sitting behind you on the bus. Keitaro and Motoko were using similar logic as they struggled to hear both sides of the exchange.

Keitaro's eyes widened at Naru's blunt admission of how she'd felt for him. He'd known, or at least suspected, that she'd felt that way, but she'd never actually said it so openly before. A memory came unbidden, of him in a hospital bed with a broken leg, telling a retreating Naru that he loved her, of not getting a response back. The anguish he'd gone through, opening his heart like that, only to be snubbed in return.

'My God,' he realized suddenly. 'If Naru had reciprocated…' He looked over at Motoko and saw that she was looking at him with fear in her eyes, and he knew that she was thinking along the same lines as him. Wanting to put an immediate end to thoughts like that, Keitaro went over and took Motoko's hands in his. "It doesn't mean anything to me anymore, Mo-chan."

"I saw how you reacted when you heard that, Kei-kun."

Sighing deeply, Keitaro replied, "I made my decision almost a year ago, and I haven't changed it. I loved you then, and I love you now."

"I, I believe you, but, but I also know that you told her you loved her." Unlike Naru and Tsuruko, this conversation was being held at a more reasonable volume, but the tension level was equally high, if not greater.

Keitaro made a move to eliminate the inherent tension. "Yes, that's true," he admitted, "but while I may have loved her, now I only love you. We created this," he continued, placing his right hand on Motoko's abdomen, "through our love. What I felt for Naru, it's in the past now. I…I still care for her, but I only love you."

Motoko heard her husband speak these words, and she did believe him, but she found herself bringing up another point. "But, my sister did meddle in our relationship, she practically forced us together."

"Does that really matter Mo-chan? Around here when haven't people meddled in someone else's relationship?" Keitaro asked. "Do you love me?"

"Yes, absolutely," Motoko replied without hesitation.

"Do you regret marrying me?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then that's all that matters. I love you, and I have no regrets. Sure, our courtship was a little…odd…but I wouldn't change a single thing." With this, Keitaro pulled Motoko into a kiss.

Motoko paused for a moment, before she melted into her husbands arms and returned the kiss. After a few seconds, she broke off the kiss and rested her head on Keitaro's shoulder. "I know I shouldn't be jealous or worried, it must be the damned moodiness. I don't want to even think about a life without you anymore."

"Me neither," Keitaro replied. "I'd rather die than lose you, or the baby," he added. They stayed in each others embrace for a few minutes before Keitaro spoke again. "We're going to have to talk to her, you know. To try and make peace."

"I know. But can we worry about that tomorrow?"

"Yes." With a final kiss on Motokos' forehead, Keitaro disengaged himself from the embrace and said, "Let's go get cleaned up, we have a reservation to keep."

"But how am I going to get cleaned up?" Motoko asked. "The hot springs are out."

"You can use my old bath, I already lowered the thermostat."

A look of resigned acceptance came over the young swordswomans features. 'Guess I have no choice.' She then stopped and reconsidered something. 'If it's just me and Kei-kun using that bath…' A familiar gleam came over her eyes. "Kei-kun," she whispered throatily, "could you help me wash my back?"

"Huh? But won't…" A moment later, Keitaro came to the same realization as Motoko. 'This has potential,' he mused. "I'd love to Mo-chan."

With that, the Aoyamas exited their room and walked arm and arm to the indoor bath, making sure to lock the door behind them.

XXX

A little later, Naru, Mutsumi, Su, Sarah, and Shinobu were in the living room chatting and watching TV. Naru had figured that the best way to get over how she was feeling was to talk with Mutsumi. She would have liked to talk with Kitsune as well, but the fox-eyed girl was still dead to the world, and judging by the number of bottles that Naru had picked up, it was doubtful that she'd be awake until tomorrow. As they all sat there chatting, Tsuruko walked into the room.

"Has anyone seen Motoko and Keitaro?" Tsuruko asked.

"I think they're getting ready for their night out," replied Mutsumi. "Why do you ask?"

"It's time for me to go home. I've enjoyed the visit, but I need to go now."

"Will you be back?" inquired Shinobu.

"I'll visit a few times before the baby arrives," Tsuruko replied.

Any further conversation was forgotten as Keitaro came down the stairs and entered the living room. As big a surprise as his appearance at the breakfast table had been, how he looked now caused a few more eyebrows to rise. He was wearing an immaculately tailored charcoal grey suit, with black dress shoes polished to a high sheen. As impressive as he had looked when he had gone out looking for a job, now he looked absolutely debonair and suave; if he'd been holding a martini, a comparison to James Bond wouldn't have been far off. Or perhaps Frank Sinatra.

"Wow Sempai! You look great!" gushed Shinobu.

"Um, thanks Shinobu," he replied, his suaveness being replaced by his bashfulness.

Tsuruko raised an eyebrow and cast an appraising eye on him. "So, where are you two going? I'm presuming it's not Mc Donald's."

"A restaurant called 'The Velvet Glove'. I've heard it's supposed to be quite good. Never been there though."

"What's with the monkey suit?" jibed Sarah.

"It's formal attire, you can't just wear anything to a place like this," Keitaro replied patiently.

"So Motoko's gonna be wearing a suit too?" inquired Su.

Chuckling softly, Keitaro replied, "No, no, she'll be wearing a dress. Don't know what's taking her so long though, she said she'd be right out and-"

"Sorry to keep you waiting Kei-kun," Motoko called out from the top of the stairs. "I just had to finish getting ready."

Everyone looked up at the sound of her voice and was awestruck at the sight of Motoko. The expectant mother had her long, luxuriant hair tied up in a blue silk ribbon, save for two small strands on either side of her face. She was wearing a simple but elegant midnight blue silk evening dress that was shoulderless, backless, and appeared to have been painted on above the waist. Below the waist it extended down below her knees, but it had a flared leg that went all the way to the upper thigh. Motoko set the entire outfit off with a small white leather purse and matching shoes.

But the most startling change was Motoko's face. She was wearing make-up, not a lot of it, just enough to make her normally beautiful face look completely stunning. It caused more than a few admiring looks from the Hinata House residents, and Keitaro felt his heart-rate increase. "Don't worry about me Mo-chan, I don't mind at all," he replied when he was able to get his jaw muscles to close his mouth and speak again.

"You look very nice Motoko," added Tsuruko. The residents, even Naru, nodded silently in agreement.

"Thank you sister."

"Before you go, I should tell you, I'll be leaving tonight."

"Why? You just got here," asked Keitaro.

"It's just the right time. Don't worry, I'll come visit you both later," reassured Tsuruko.

Motoko walked up and embraced her older sister. "Don't be gone too long from us sister." She then whispered into Tsuruko's ear. "Kei-kun and I need all the support we can get."

"I understand," replied Tsuruko quietly. "But I think that you have more support here than you may think."

"I hope so," Motoko said softly. Releasing her embrace, she continued in a normal voice. "It was nice to see you again sister."

"It was good to see you and Keitaro again, and congratulations on your pregnancy. I look forward to meeting my niece."

"Nephew," interjected Keitaro.

"We'll see," responded Tsuruko, qwirking an eyebrow at her brother-in-law. "Take care you two, I'll leave after you two go."

"Goodbye Tsuruko," called out Keitaro. "Are you going to be okay travelling by yourself…" The question died on Keitaros' lips as he realized the stupidity of his concern. She'd be all right. Any street punk dumb enough to hassle her deserved whatever he gets. 'Probably do the human race a favour, eliminating some of the idiots from the gene pool.'

"Safe journey," added Motoko. She and Keitaro then bid goodbye to the others and walked away arm in arm.

Tsuruko watched the two of them walk away for a minute, before she returned to the room she'd spent the night in, retrieved her backpack, bid her goodbye to the residents and walked into the night. She was at the top of the stairs when Naru called out to her.

"Wait."

"Yes Naru?" Tsuruko replied, turning around.

Naru walked up to her, determination set onto her features. "I've been thinking about what we… discussed."

Tsuruko nodded knowingly. "I expected that. What have you decided?"

"You, you were right about me not taking action," she admitted softly. "But that doesn't mean that you had any right to do what you did," Naru continued with more fire in her tone. "I want to make peace with Keitaro and Motoko. I don't want to have to feel like I need to leave the room when I see them. But you, I'll never forgive, and certainly never forget. You and I, we're 'civil' at best. We'll never be friends, and we'll never be close. Just, just stay out of my life whenever possible."

"As you wish," Tsuruko replied. "But remember this: I always take care of my family, and the two of them, correction, the three of them are family." Tsuruko then brightened considerably. "Take care of yourself Naru, and good luck in your future." She then turned around and resumed walking away, leaving a smouldering Naru behind her.

XXX

The walk to the restaurant had been pleasant, but uneventful. No words had been spoken; the Aoyamas had simply enjoyed walking through the streets without a care in the world, the pregnancy forgotten for this one night. Keitaro viewed it as perhaps his last chance to enjoy a quiet romantic evening with his wife, and without any distractions. For tonight only, they would have an evening the likes of which they'd never had in their first year of marriage.

After fifteen minutes or so of walking, Keitaro and Motoko reached the restaurant, and they were both at a loss for words upon seeing first hand the décor and atmosphere. The place screamed romance, with candles on each table providing soft illumination, and a string quartet providing music.

Keitaro went up to the Maitre'd, gave his name, and quoted the reservation that he had managed to acquire over the phone at short notice through begging, wheedling, and cajoling, a humiliating experience that fortunately Motoko hadn't witnessed. They were shown to a private table in the corner of the restaurant, after Keitaro had discretely slipped two 10,000 yen notes to the Maitre'd, mentally reminding himself to plan ahead next time. The waiter came around shortly, presented them with their menus, and the two of them took the opportunity to look them over.

They made their selections, passed on any wine; "No thanks, we're pregnant," had been Keitaro's exact words, and the two of them sat there, waiting for one of them to break the ice. Momentarily, Keitaro picked up his wine glass, which, like Motoko's, was filled with ice water, and toasted. "Happy Anniversary Mo-chan."

Motoko picked up her own glass and reciprocated. "Happy Anniversary Kei-kun. I love you." They clinked their glasses together and took a sip. "And to many, many more," she added.

"Agreed," replied Keitaro. "I can't tell you enough how much I've loved the time I've spent with you, and now becoming a father…" He broke off, unable to convey exactly how he felt.

"It's going to get harder Kei-kun, especially when the baby comes," Motoko reminded him quietly.

"I know," he replied, a resigned tone prominent in his voice. Keitaro then clasped Motoko's hand; seeming to gain strength from this gesture, he continued in a more assured tone. "But we'll get through this together. I'll do anything for you Mo-chan." The swordsman in training smiled when Motoko gave his hand a squeeze in return and smiled softly. "When the baby comes-"

"Wait Kei-kun," Motoko interrupted. "This may be the last night like this in a long time, can we just forget about all of that? Tomorrow we can think about everything, but tonight just the two of us, please?" The look in her eyes matched perfectly with the pleading in her voice.

"Of course, Mo-chan, of course." Keitaro attempted to find another topic of conversation that wasn't related to the pregnancy or Hinata House. After drawing an unexpected blank, he resorted to talking about what they were currently doing. "So, what do you think? About this restaurant, I mean."

"It's…lovely. First time we've ever had to get dressed up to dine."

"You look lovely, Mo-chan." The candles were casting soft shadows upon her, making her look almost ethereal. "Where did you get that dress?" Keitaro asked.

"When did you get that suit Kei-kun?" Motoko replied.

"I picked it up the last time we were in Okinawa, what about you?"

"I bought this in Hokkaido."

"Hokkaido," Keitaro repeated, giving the dress a closer look. "It was cold the last time we were there, and that dress doesn't look too warm."

Motoko playfully slapped his hand for that. "You fool," she said affectionately. "That outfit hardly looks suitable for kendo, why'd you buy it?"

"Thought it might come in handy one day. Who knew, I could have decided to take you to a five star restaurant."

"Really? Well, I bought this dress for…well, I was planning on surprising you with it one day, when you returned to the cabin after some errands."

"Like the time with the French Maid outfit?" Keitaro asked, blushing as he recalled that afternoon, and what had happened later.

"I'm surprised that you remember that outfit Kei-kun," teased Motoko. "It's not like I was wearing it for very long after you got back." She then noticed that while Keitaro was still blushing heavily, he wasn't looking at her directly, but over her shoulder as if…

With a sudden sense of dread, Motoko felt a blush come over her, as she slowly, reluctantly, forced herself to look over her shoulder. Sure enough, the waiter was there with their entrees, looking completely unfazed, although Motoko thought that she could see a glint of amusement in his eyes. Salvaging whatever dignity she had left, the thoroughly embarrassed young woman turned her attention back to Keitaro as the waiter placed their meals before them wordlessly.

After the waiter left, Keitaro and Motoko sat there, neither one moving or speaking, until Keitaro started chuckling in spite of himself, the mortified look on his wifes face striking him as funny.

"Don't laugh Kei-kun, this isn't funny!" Motoko hissed, even though she felt the first sensations of laughter coursing through her. Watching her husband vainly attempt to stifle his snickering eased the tension that she was feeling, and she felt her own lips twist upwards in a smile. "Okay, maybe it is, but we shouldn't be laughing."

"Sorry Mo-chan," he chuckled, doing his best to get over his amusement.

"I hope you enjoyed that."

"Which time? Now, or with the French Maid outfit? The answer's 'yes' to both, by the way," Keitaro responded casually.

Motoko shook her head. "Kei-kun, what ever will I do with you?" she asked. She sounded half annoyed, half amused.

"Whatever you want," quipped Keitaro.

Figuring that the best way to put an end to her husbands one-liners was to ignore them, Motoko simply started eating and Keitaro followed suit shortly after. The meal was excellent, well deserving of the restaurants' rating, and the prices that the menu had listed. In the back of her mind Motoko wondered how much of Kitsune's drinking money Keitaro had withdrawn to pay for it.

Keitaro also found the food to be delicious, and he enjoyed the meal immensely, savouring the flavour, and watching the reflection of the candles in Motoko's eyes. However, when he was all but finished, something happened that caused him to nearly jump out of his chair.

He had swallowed another mouthful when he felt Motoko's foot slowly rubbing against the inside of his right leg. Startled, he almost stood up before he realized what was going on. The unnerved young man discretely looked around to see if anyone was watching, before he belatedly noticed that the tablecloths extended all the way to the floor.

"Something wrong Kei-kun?" Motoko asked innocently. The innocence in her voice didn't match at all with the sly, knowing look on her face.

Trying to act casual, Keitaro replied, "No, nothing at all, just a little jumpy." He was trying his best to not make a scene and maintain a slightly bored expression, when Motoko slid her foot halfway up his inner thigh. The flustered Keitaro saw the look in his wifes eyes and made a decision. "Check please!"

After settling the bill, which was more than what they used to spend on groceries for a month, Keitaro and his bride walked out of the restaurant and began heading back to Hinata House. They were both in a hurry, but trying not to look like they were rushing, if only to keep a façade of calmness around them.

The full moon was now high in the night sky, but neither of them paid much attention to anything but each other. Keitaro was enjoying the feel of Motoko leaning against him as they walked, the pleasant scent of her shampoo wafting into his nose, mixing with the unfamiliar odour of perfume, which Keitaro couldn't recall Motoko ever wearing before.

Motoko could feel Keitaro's heartbeat, even through the suit he was wearing, and that he was breathing shallower than normal. In addition, despite Keitaro's attempt to remain discrete, she'd noticed that he'd made an adjustment to his trousers before he'd stood up. The fact that she was wearing three-inch heels was all that prevented her from walking any faster.

In far less time than the outbound trip had taken, the Aoyamas reached the top of the Hinata house stairs. There, they paused to collect themselves and put on an air of normalcy and control. Satisfied that they'd accomplished this, they walked in a slower stride to the entrance of the residence. Entering, the two of them announced their arrival, discovering that only Mutsumi was in the living room. The couple exchanged greetings, found out that Tsuruko had in fact left, and then Motoko added that she was tired and that it was time for bed.

Keitaro and Motoko walked up he stairs and down the hallway until they reached their room. Their outward appearance gave no clue to the hormones that were currently running high in the young couple. They appeared to be calm and relaxed, and they kept up this front until the lock on their door was engaged with a 'click'.

As soon as the 'click' faded, Motoko grabbed Keitaro and pushed him bodily up against the wall. She then pushed herself against him and kissed him fiercely. As soon as his head cleared, Keitaro returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around Motokos' waist, sliding his right hand up her exposed back, his left arm down to rest on her rear. A tangle of arms and legs, a flurry of discarded clothing, and the couple made their way to the futon.

Afterwards, Motoko slumped next to the spent Keitaro and embraced him, not having the energy required to move. After a minute, she pulled up the blankets, turned off the light and kissed Keitaro. He responded as best he could, battling through his post orgasm fatigue. "I love you Mo-chan," he said tiredly.

"Love you Kei-kun. Goodnight." With this she rested her head on Keitaro's chest and closed her eyes for sleep. Keitaro was asleep within moments, but she was awake for a couple of minutes. During that time she found herself thinking about what she was in for in the next eight or so months. She was scared, but she was also comforted by Keitaros' assurances of being there for her. "Don't know what I'd do without you Kei-kun," she murmured, just as she fell asleep.

The Aoyamas were now both sleeping peacefully, but they were going to face some difficulties in the near future, and not all of them were going to be because of the pregnancy.

End Chapter Three

Thanks to crosseyedbutterfly, dennisud, and UndeadAnimeFan267 for pre-reading this thing. Sorry about all the (s') errors this time. I must have been breathing in too much jet fuel fumes.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, but this is proving to be harder to write than I anticipated. It doesn't help that I got a new job and that I had to move three days drive to get there. Moving SUCKS! Add on settling in, and a crazy, seven days on, seven days off schedule, and I'm surprised that I'm finished this chapter this early.

Well, I hope to be able to work faster now, but like I've said, I make no promises.


	4. Coping, Rumination, and the Coming of Tr...

Disclaimer: See Chapter Two

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

A lemon version of this story is available at AdultFanFiction(dot)net and MediaMiner(dot)org

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter Four: Coping, Rumination, and the Coming of Trouble

By: hawker748

The sounds of explosions reverberated through the air, shaking Naru where she sat. The thundering faded away, along with the smoke and dust, revealing Tsuruko. She looked none the worse for wear, in spite of having been hit with a case of Su's special grenades.

"Ho ho ho… Now it's actually beginning to get interesting!" Tsuruko chortled.

"How high is that lady's hit point level!" Keitaro shrieked in disbelief.

Motoko and Tsuruko resumed their battle, as Keitaro, Naru, and Tama-chan watched from the sidelines. Keitaro was focused intently on the sibling duel, while Naru simmered, jealousy flowing through her. She remembered how she felt when Keitaro had hobbled onto the battlefield, cast and all, plucked Motoko from Tsuruko's grasp and let fly with an arm-load of ordinance. The sight of Motoko in Keitaro's grasp stirred feelings of envy she would die before admitting to.

With a mixture of frustration and jealousy, Naru regarded Keitaro. For someone with a broken leg, he was certainly trying hard to help Motoko. Something had to have happened between the two of them, she was sure of it. She confronted him with this, and he'd simply tried to brush her off.

Her frustration reaching the breaking point, Naru leapt to her feet and went to grab the sword Keitaro was wearing on his back. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with it, but she believed she might just shove it down Keitaro's throat.

At the last second, Keitaro saw her reach for the sword, and he swiftly moved it out of her reach. "Don't touch that!" he warned.

Naru stopped cold. "What?" she asked softly, in a voice dripping with danger.

"Motoko says it's cursed, don't touch it!" Keitaro re-iterated.

Naru couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You aren't using it because of a goddamn CURSE!" she bellowed.

"Hey, Motoko says it's dangerous, and I believe her," Keitaro replied hotly.

Naru's temper flared up spectacularly. "Fine! Marry her if you trust her so much!"

Keitaro looked like he was about to shout back, when they both suddenly realized that it had just gone dead quiet; the sounds of battle had ceased. With a stricken look, Keitaro turned back around and saw Motoko, her head down in supplication, with Tsuruko standing triumphantly over her.

"You are defeated Motoko," declared Tsuruko, a sense of finality in her words. "You are hereby banished from this dojo, and you will now marry Urashima. Come Keitaro, your bride awaits."

Keitaro stood there in abject shock, completely frozen. He glanced at Naru, a desperate look in his eyes, hoping to see her object, react, to do anything. She just stood there frozen and silent, not saying a word. His last hope seemingly gone, he turned around and slowly hobbled towards Motoko, having no option but to pay the price for his attempt at deception.

XXX

Naru awoke with a start. She hadn't dreamt about the apocalyptic duel since…since…well, never. She shook her head ruefully. 'Figures. I only dream about that after they come back.'

Naru didn't want to dream about that; the memory was too painful even now, without having to relive it again in her sleep. These nocturnal revisitations didn't make moving on with her life any easier. 'Wish I could stop thinking about that. And if wishes were horses…'

With a short, humourless bark of a laugh, the love-lorne young woman got out of bed and tried to put aside the memories that sleep had dredged up. 'Put it behind you, dammit! Reminiscing isn't going to help, or change anything now.' She gathered up her things for the hot springs, and had one last thought as she opened her door.

'What would have happened if I'd grabbed that sword anyway?' Naru pondered. 'Probably nothing. Cursed. Right. Like it would have made much of a difference.'

XXX

Morning came far, far too early for Mitsune Konno. She opened her eyes and immediately slammed them shut, wishing that she hadn't. She felt like there were ten thousand howler monkeys inside her skull performing an opera. Or perhaps all the jackhammers in the world working in her brain was a more accurate description. Either way, her head was throbbing in perfect time with her heartbeat, and Kitsune would have been willing to cut out her own heart to put an end to that agonizing pounding.

The sake she had consumed the night before had left her with a couple of souvenirs; a five-alarm hangover, plus her mouth was as dry as cotton and felt absolutely vile. The sour aftertaste of sake made her want to gag. Along with the dizziness and nausea, these feelings were threatening to make her vomit. A hot, flushed feeling had her perspiring profusely, soaking the blankets and the clothes she was wearing with cold sweat.

'Wait,' thought Kitsune, her mental properties, hampered by the misery she was experiencing, were finally rebooting. 'Where'd these blankets come from?' she wondered. The answer came to her after a few moments, when a few more of her neurons managed to fire correctly. 'Naru. Had to be Naru. Who else woulda helped me?' Her conclusion reinforced her feelings of depression and self pity, the same feelings that had started her on her binge the day before.

Kitsune didn't really want to get up, but since she was unable to sleep on a futon in such disreputable condition, the self proclaimed slacker reluctantly got to her feet, stripped out of her soaked clothes and slipped into a robe. She debated on whether or not to use a little 'hair of the dog' to make herself feel better, before deciding on simply recharging herself in the hot spring.

Kitsune gathered up her bathing supplies and headed through the hallways towards the woman's bath, years of practice at concealing how awful she felt allowing her to walk with a steady gait. Upon reaching the changing area she found the other Hinata House regulars already there, and to her relief, there were no signs of an Aoyama anywhere. Nodding an unspoken thanks to Naru, she quickly headed out to the bath, missing the concerned look Naru had given her. Naru had wanted to talk to her earlier about her drinking, but had decided that this sort of issue was best discussed in private.

After hanging up her robe and grabbing a towel, Kitsune walked outside and made her way to the bath. She braced herself for the initial heat and slipped into the water, ready to let its liquid warmth ease her troubles and provide her with some relief. But as she sat there, she realized that something wasn't quite right.

"What the hell's wrong with this bath!" she bellowed, in no mood to be subtle or discrete.

Drawn by the force of the fox-eyed girl's blast, the other residents rushed outside. "What's wrong?" asked a concerned Naru.

"The water's absolutely frigid!" Kitsune snarled, her nerves frayed, pissed off, and in no mood to mince words.

Curious, Shinobu walked up to the water's edge and dipped her foot into the bath. "It's…warm."

"So why isn't it hot like normal!" snapped Kitsune, her hangover killing all traces of good humour. "Somebody go tell that useless landlord of ours that he forgot to turn up the heat!"

"Kei-kun didn't do this, I turned it down," Mutsumi interjected sweetly, immune to Kitsune's hostility.

Kitsune sat there nonplussed, a puzzled look on her face. "What the hell'd you do that for?" she asked after a moment's contemplation.

"So Motoko-chan can use it," replied Mutsumi.

"So why'd you have to turn it into an ice-bath?" growled Kitsune.

"Don't be silly Kitsune, it's not that cold," responded Naru, who had moved down to the bath to check the temperature. "It's still nice and warm."

As if to prove Naru's point, Tama-chan alighted off of Shinobu's head and landed in the water. The turtle seemed to contemplate the reduced temperature of the water it was soaking in, before it shrugged it's flippers in acceptance and began to relax.

'What's with you Kitsune?' Naru wondered silently, as she absently watched Tama-chan floating contentedly. 'Why are you so irritable?'

"Naru-san is correct; the water is just under 100 degrees, a safe temperature for an unborn baby," Mutsumi continued.

"Safe temperature?" inquired Sarah.

"A bath or shower over 100 degrees can hurt a baby's development," lectured Mutsumi. While Keitaro and Motoko had been on their date, she had given the pregnancy book a through read, and had learned why Motoko couldn't use the hot springs. After deciding that no woman enduring pregnancy should be without a hot spring, she had concluded that the appropriate course of action was to lower the thermostat.

"Really?" asked Shinobu.

"Yes," answered Mutsumi. "It wouldn't be fair for Motoko to have to use Keitaro's little bathroom now, would it?"

The other residents mentally considered this and started nodding to themselves in agreement. With one clear exception.

"What good is a hot spring that isn't hot?" groused Kitsune.

"Kitsune, I think we can all put up with this. Motoko's the one who's going through a lot right now." Naru gave her friend a look of disapproval, with a little bit of disappointment mixed in as well.

Kitsune didn't miss the look, and was hurt that her best friend seemed to be siding against her. From the looks of the others, she was on her own. She'd expected that, but she'd figured that Naru would've at least made a token effort to back her up. 'You're siding with HER against ME? But I thought friends were supposed to be there for each other.'

Feeling a sense of betrayal, Kitsune acknowledged the will of the majority and muttered a half-hearted approval of the temperature reduction. She slunk over to a more secluded area of the bath and sulked, causing her feelings of resentment towards the Aoyamas to increase slowly, like a locomotive gradually building up a head of steam.

The remaining residents waded into the pool and concluded that while it wasn't as nice as it was when the water was near the scalding point, it wasn't too bad either. If it would help Motoko and her baby, then it was an acceptable sacrifice. Consequently, the level of chatter in the bath was soon up to its usual norms.

Mutsumi surveyed her handiwork, and was pleased with the results. Now Motoko-chan and Naru-san would have more opportunity to talk to each other, and maybe they'd be able to work things out between them. She was so pleased with how well it had been accepted, that she didn't notice the aura of resentment that Kitsune was now emitting.

XXX

Almost unwillingly, Motoko opened her bleary eyes and rejoined the waking world. Her appreciation of her situation was further hampered by the nausea that she was experiencing. She closed her eyes and remained motionless, hoping that she wouldn't have to run like hell for the toilet this morning.

To her great relief, on this particular morning the nausea eased up without her having to get up and vomit, which meant she could stay where she was most comfortable, in Keitaro's warm embrace. Motoko rolled slightly, allowing her chin to rest on his chest, and she tightened her hold on him, smiling to herself when she felt him unconsciously increase his own embrace. She contented herself with laying there, her head rising and falling with his every breath, feeling his heartbeat, and gazing at the smile upon his face.

'You should be smiling Kei-kun, especially after last night,' Motoko thought to herself with a placid and contented smile. 'Then again, you always seem to smile in your sleep.' On occasions when she wasn't able to sleep, Motoko enjoyed watching Keitaro while he slept. Throughout most of their marriage, Keitaro had slept the sleep of the righteous, usually untroubled and unburdened by anything that life threw at him. Unlike his time as landlord of Hinata House, in which all of the problems and experiences he had gone through rested heavily upon his troubled brow, their life together, forced marriage not withstanding, had been relatively care-free.

True, there'd been some difficulties, but nothing that they couldn't handle together. This life of no real worries or concerns had allowed Keitaro to regularly sleep with a smile. And the mornings after nights that they had made love, such as this one, his smile was even wider. 'Kei-kun seems to have that smile an awful lot of mornings,' Motoko mused internally. Not that she minded. On some occasions, when she couldn't fall back asleep, she'd wake Keitaro. The first time she had roused him from a well-earned slumber, after a particularly difficult day of training, he'd bemoaned the loss of sleep.

But only that first time, and only for a few moments.

Thinking about that caused Motoko's smile to widen as well. But she wondered yet again if it was normal for a married couple to be so sexually active. 'Why do we make love so often?' she asked herself yet again. She didn't mind it at all, far from it. She and Keitaro enjoyed their couplings, but she was just a little curious.

In the past, she'd theorized that she was just trying to keep Keitaro happy, so that he wouldn't stray, but she'd later rejected that idea as ludicrous. After what they'd been through to be together, infidelity wasn't in either of their vocabularies. Besides, it wasn't as if sex with Keitaro was some tedious chore she had to do, she genuinely loved and relished every moment of the experience. It wasn't uncommon for her to initiate intimacy, and Keitaro wasn't one to turn her down if she asked. 'Who knew I was so hot-blooded, given what I believed before?'

In the end, Motoko had come to understand that the primary reason for their frequency in lovemaking was simply that they deeply loved each other, and they wanted to express it as much and as often as possible. As for her, she was an active participant for the additional reason that it was the only time that she could cast aside the role in life and society that she'd chosen. When people saw her, they usually saw a strong, regal, independent swordswoman, which she would acknowledge being with pride. But Keitaro, and only Keitaro, saw her as a woman, his soul mate, the love of his life.

When the two of them were in bed, Motoko was a woman, first, last, and always. She could lower all of the facades and emotional barriers she created for the world to see, and simply be Motoko Aoyama, beloved wife of Keitaro Aoyama. She played this part with all the passion and zeal that she put into being a swordswoman, so perhaps it wasn't so surprising that Keitaro had, on more than one occasion, referred to her as a tigress in bed. The first time he'd said that, she'd laughed, then later secretly purchased a pair of tiger striped bra and panties, and worn them to bed that night. Keitaro took one look at them and bolted from the bedroom. For a moment, Motoko was stunned and hurt that Keitaro had rejected her idea. However, these thoughts vanished seconds later when Keitaro ran back into the room, somehow managing to have scrounged up a pith helmet, hiking boots and a hoop net, and this had resulted in a game of 'Wild Kingdom' which…

Motoko's thoughts and trip down memory lane were interrupted when she felt Keitaro stir beneath her. He blinked his eyes clear, smacked his lips a few times, and then focused his gaze upon her. "Good morning Mo-chan. Are you feeling better this morning, my love?"

"It wasn't too bad, I didn't have to throw up," she replied. Motoko then snuggled tighter against Keitaro. "Do we have to get out of bed today Kei-kun?" she purred. "This is so nice, I don't want to leave."

"Yes, it is," Mr. Aoyama agreed. "But we have to get up." Keitaro didn't sound too enthusiastic about that prospect either.

Sighing in resignation, Motoko reluctantly released Keitaro and stood up, eliciting a wolf whistle from her husband, who admired her stately and beautifully nude figure, before she was able to wrap a sheet around herself. "Pervert," she scolded, with no small amount of amusement.

"Hm-mm," Keitaro acknowledged.

Chuckling softly to herself, Motoko slipped on a robe and headed for the bathroom.

XXX

Down in the dining room, the other residents were already eating when Keitaro and Motoko entered, greeted everyone, and sat down to eat. Su was the first to talk to the late arrivals. "Hey Motoko, how come ya didn't puke today?" With the exception of Mutsumi, everyone grimaced at the reminder of the morning before.

"Just lucky this morning, I guess," Motoko replied, clearly not happy at the subject being discussed.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better this morning," said Naru.

Motoko nodded gratefully in response. She then turned to Shinobu and asked, "Do we have any chamomile tea?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," Shinobu replied. "Why?"

"It's supposed to ease morning sickness. I guess I'll pick some up later today."

"How's that supposed to help?" queried Naru.

"No idea, that's just what the doctor told us, that and spearmint aromatherapy."

"Spearmint?" Naru asked sceptically.

Keitaro shrugged in response. "Ask the doctor, she's the one who recommended it."

The residents considered that amongst themselves, as Keitaro and Motoko continued to eat.

"You must be happy this morning," Kitsune spoke up for the first time that morning. "I didn't hear the 'pitter-patter' of little feet today." A malicious grin came over her face as she continued. "Of course, yesterday you sounded like a hippo during a stampede." She felt some satisfaction at the embarrassed look that came over Motoko.

"Don't worry about that Mo-chan," Keitaro reassured her. "This is normal during pregnancy." A far-off look came into his eyes. "Soon, there will be the real 'pitter-patter' of little feet here."

"Along with crying, Two AM feedings, diapers…" Mutsumi added.

"You're not helping here," growled Naru.

"Hey Motoko," called out Sarah. "Speaking of little feet, what are you going to call the rugrat?"

Motoko blinked in response. "I, I hadn't really thought about that yet, it's still quite early. But I think that I'd like to call her Kimiko, or perhaps Natsuko."

"I don't know, Mo-chan," interjected Keitaro. "I was thinking of Akira, or maybe Ryu."

"Those are boys names, Kei-kun," Motoko stated. "Our daughter wouldn't like being called by a boy's name."

"True, but our son wouldn't like Kimiko either."

"I thought we settled his yesterday, Kei-kun," Motoko chided.

"Best of three?" Keitaro asked weakly.

"Kei-kun, you know I can't duel with you anymore," Motoko reminded him.

"Why not?" inquired Su.

Motoko sighed. "Strenuous exercise isn't good for pregnant women," she answered.

"Which means I might actually win one, Mo-chan," Keitaro quipped.

"You've always done pretty good Kei-kun. After all, you've defeated me a couple of times."

"Only when you made a mistake," Keitaro pointed out. "Even then, three times at the most."

"That's still pretty good. You've done well in only a year."

"Only because I had a great teacher."

"Why thank you, Kei-kun," Motoko replied sweetly, smiling at her life mate.

"You're welcome, Mo-chan," Keitaro returned, in an even more affectionate tone.

"Ugh, must…have…insulin," muttered Kitsune, sticking her finger in her mouth and making gagging motions.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Keitaro.

"All that sweetness is making my teeth ache," Kitsune grumbled. "You two keep that up and we'll all get diabetes."

"Maybe we are going a bit overboard," Keitaro admitted.

"It's no big deal Keitaro," replied Naru, giving Kitsune a funny look, which the older woman ignored.

"Perhaps," he responded. Nothing further was said as the Aoyamas continued to eat breakfast. Motoko's food intake, while not as significant as Su's, was noticeably higher than what she'd eaten before she'd become pregnant.

As Motoko finished her plate, Sarah asked her, "So what are you gonna do if you can't beat up the dork anymore?"

"I suppose we'll concentrate more on katas and running," Motoko replied.

"Just a run this morning, Mo-chan?" queried Keitaro.

"Yes Kei-kun. You think you can handle two miles?"

"Piece of cake."

"I know," Motoko replied sweetly. "That's why you'll be doing five miles. I shouldn't do more than two, but you can keep doing five."

"Yes sensei," Keitaro grumped. "We start now?"

"Of course," stated Motoko. "Thank you for breakfast Shinobu. We'll see you all later."

"Wait Motoko-chan!" called out Mutsumi. "When you get back, you can use the hot springs."

A confused look came over Motoko's features. "Didn't I tell you that I can't use it?"

"Yes, but now you can, it's safe now," Mutsumi replied.

"Yeah, she turned the heat down," growled Kitsune. "She just went and did it."

"Th, thank you Mutsumi," Motoko responded gratefully. She'd all but resigned herself to using Keitaro's small tub, and the prospect of being able to keep using the hot springs was a source of considerable relief to the expectant mother.

"It's nothing," Mutsumi answered.

After giving Mutsumi a thankful look that indicated that it was much more than nothing, Motoko turned to her husband and asked, "You ready now Kei-kun?"

"Lead on, Mo-chan," he said, ready to hit the road.

The young couple walked out of the dining room and made their way to the front door. Once there, they put on their running shoes, went outside, stretched for a minute or so, and then began their morning jog.

Back in the living room, everyone else finished up their meal, thanked Shinobu, and went their own ways. But Naru made a point of following Kitsune into her room, where she confronted her over her rude behaviour the previous evening and in the bath that morning. "Is something bothering you Kitsune?" she began without any preamble.

"Why would you think that Naru?" Kitsune responded, laying on the sarcasm thick enough to cut with a katana.

Naru ignored the jibe, not wanting to get into an argument with her best friend. She decided to try a different tack; keeping her voice calm and reasonable, she asked, "Why were you so upset in the hot springs? Warm water isn't that big of a deal. Even Tama-chan wasn't that upset about it."

"But why do we have to go out of our way to accommodate them?" asked Kitsune. "They show up out of nowhere, without warning, and start acting like they own the place."

"Kitsune, Keitaro does own it, remember?"

"That still shouldn't give them the right to order us around."

"Kitsune, they didn't lower the thermostat, it was Mutsumi," Naru pointed out. "For what it's worth, I think it's the right thing to do. The hot springs aren't that important, Motoko's baby is. You don't want anything to happen to her now, do you?"

"No, but why make it easier for her? I thought you were upset at her."

Naru found herself unwillingly replaying the argument she'd had with Tsuruko the previous day. She'd had to come to terms with the fact that she was as responsible for Keitaro and Motoko ending up together as Tsuruko had been. "I, I am a little upset with her," she admitted reluctantly, "but I'm more upset at Tsuruko. Besides, even if I was pissed at Motoko, which I'm not, I don't wish her any harm. I want to make up with them, and being flexible is a good start."

"Why aren't you pissed at her?" asked Kitsune, standing up and facing her friend a foot away. "She took Keitaro from you."

Naru closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She still didn't like having to admit to what she was about to tell Kitsune. "No, Kitsune, I let my anger and mistrust… If…if I'd been smarter, I wouldn't have lost him. If I'd been truthful with my feelings, telling him how I felt, he wouldn't be with Motoko now. Yes, he ended up with her, but I didn't exactly do anything to keep him."

Kitsune stared at Naru incredulously; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You were just scared, if you'd had more time-"

"I had nearly a year," Naru interrupted. "I had plenty of time, I just wasted it away."

Kitsune could only respond to that with silence.

"I wanted to talk to you yesterday Kitsune," Naru continued, changing the subject to something she thought was more pressing. "But you were out like a light."

The fox-eyed girl didn't miss the hint of accusation in Naru's tone. She quickly threw up a light-hearted front and attempted to brush off any concerns. "I just had a hard day, I needed a few drinks to unwind, that's all."

"You call five full bottles of Sake a 'few drinks'?"

"It wasn't really five bottles Naru," Kitsune replied defensively. "I just finished up some nearly empty ones, that's all."

Naru found herself being swayed by Kitsune's argument, and it was difficult to stay upset in the face of her friends upbeat, cheerful demeanour, even if it did seem a little forced.

"Besides," Kitsune added with a grin. "It's not like anything bad happened. I didn't drive or anything, and I didn't fall down the stairs, I just went to bed early."

Kitsune's logic seemed to make sense to Naru. Maybe she was getting concerned over nothing. Who knew how many times she would have liked a little help falling asleep herself. Besides, Kitsune was a responsible person, right? She knew her own limits, and she never did anything stupid when she was drunk.

"Yeah, I guess you're right Kitsune," agreed Naru. "Those two coming back have stressed everyone out. I'm over-reacting."

"Probably," agreed Kitsune. "But I don't mind."

Naru smiled in spite of herself. "Okay. You just take care of yourself Kitsune. I'll see you later." She then turned around and walked out of the room, feeling better about things in general.

But Naru was bothered by the voice in the back of her head, which sounded like the one she'd ignored a year earlier, accusing her of not trying hard enough.

Trying to put that little voice out of her mind, Naru was lost in thought when she almost literally bumped into Keitaro, who had finished his run. His thoughts also appeared to be elsewhere. "Kei…Keitaro," she breathed.

"Naru," he replied, an uncomfortable feeling coming over him as he looked at her.

For a few seconds neither one spoke, a truly deafening silence. Idly Naru noticed that Keitaro's hair and shirt were soaked with sweat, and she unconsciously wrinkled her nose when she caught wind of him.

"Naru, have you seen Mo-chan?" he asked.

"I think she's in the bath." Naru had to suppress a pang of envy for Motoko.

"Really? Thanks Naru." Keitaro then made to enter the changing area, his intentions obvious.

"Keitaro," Naru called out.

"Yes?"

There were so many things that Naru needed to say, wanted to say, so many questions and admissions. But as she stood there, she realized that now wasn't the time. She turned and walked away, not even looking back when she called out, "Make sure you put up the sign."

Keitaro stood there perplexed, not certain what to make of Naru's behaviour, before he insured that the sign was posted, and proceeded into the changing area.

XXX

After finishing her two mile run, and cheerfully reminding Keitaro that he still had another three miles to go, Motoko walked up the stairs to Hinata House, cooling off and letting her heart rate get back down to normal. She'd enjoyed the run, and while it couldn't compare to sparring with Keitaro, at least she could stay active during her pregnancy. Until she was too big to run, that is. Now it was time to relax in the hot spring.

'Or is that 'warm' spring now?' wondered Motoko, with a touch of amusement. She went into her room to retrieve a change of clothes and her bathing supplies. She proceeded into the changing area, disposed of her running outfit, wrapped her herself in a towel and walked outside to the springs.

After checking the thermostat to ensure that the water was in fact at a safe temperature, she slipped into the water, the luxury of the surroundings more than making up for the reduced temperature. Motoko was thrilled to be able to use the outdoor bath again, as Keitaro's old bath was just too small. 'Although it was nice and cozy, with just the two of us…' She smiled to herself as she remembered Keitaro washing her back, and everything else they did, fondly.

Motoko closed her eyes and tried to let the water ease away all of her cares and worries. A warm soak wasn't as effective as a hot soak, but it was better than nothing. She lounged there, thinking about what she was going to have to do over the next couple of weeks. Her contemplation was interrupted when she heard the sound of someone else entering the bath. "Who's there?"

"It's me Mo-chan."

"Kei-kun!" Motoko's face lit up like a Christmas tree upon hearing her husband's voice.

Keitaro smiled broadly and proceeded into the bath. A few minutes went by, and the Aoyamas simply lounged in the warm waters, attempting to forget all of their stresses, relaxing themselves in each other's company.

"So where were you Kei-kun?" asked Motoko, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I'm sorry?"

"You only had to run another three miles, you should have been back sooner, unless you weren't trying."

"I made a few stops after the run to pick up a few things."

"Oh? Like what?"

"I bought some camomile tea, and some spearmint aromatherapy thingys. Sorry, but I'm not sure how to use them, the salesgirl didn't seem to want to help me very much."

A mental image of Keitaro in a small aromatherapy specialty shop, sweaty and dishevelled after his run, nearly caused Motoko to laugh out loud. As it was, a brief snicker escaped her lips, and she found it difficult to get the smile off of her face. "You could have come home and gotten cleaned up first Kei-kun." There was no small amount of humour in Motoko's tone.

"Eh, why bother?" replied Keitaro dismissively. "It's not like I need to impress her or anything."

"True," murmured Motoko. "So, what shall we do today?"

"Why not go look at some baby things?"

"Good idea," Motoko replied, after a few seconds consideration. "We can look for some toys for our daughter."

"Son."

"Daughter, Kei-kun. Remember, I won the duel."

"As usual," grumped Keitaro.

Motoko chuckled softly at that. "Okay then, we'll go window shopping. Later."

"Yes. Later."

No other words were spoken, or necessary.

XXX

Over the next month or so, the residents of Hinata House fell back into a routine. Despite the presence of the spearmint aromatherapy, Motoko usually felt miserable in the morning, and needed to make a frantic run for the bathroom about once every three days. The other residents became inured to this activity, no longer even grimacing in disgust. When Motoko's heavy footfalls were heard, any conversation would cease until the unpleasant sounds of her vomiting passed, after which all talking resumed as if nothing had happened.

Motoko made every effort to control the morning sickness; drinking camomile tea in the morning, switching to simpler meals when possible, and using the spearmint aromatherapy essential oils and candles. The aromatherapy did seem to help some, and the pleasant scent also served to mask less pleasant odours that resulted from the increase in intestinal gas that Motoko was experiencing, or on mornings after they'd made love. An unexpected side effect of the spearmint aromatherapy was Su constantly asking the two of them where they'd hidden the candy canes.

Motoko's strange cravings continued unabated, and although she was usually able to resist them, or substitute something more sensible than what she craved, she developed a real sweet tooth. One morning, as all of the other residents watched in fascinated horror, Motoko poured herself a large bowl of Froot Loops. No one knew where they'd come from, and no one admitted to buying them, but they were there. The sight of the expectant mother eating a bowl of vaguely fruit flavoured sugar wouldn't have been so upsetting, but instead of milk, Motoko had topped it with cola. She then proceeded to consume the sickly sweet meal, oblivious to the aghast looks that the other residents wore. Even Su, hardly an opponent of sweet things, had her gag reflex put to the test as Motoko plowed through the bowl of cereal.

On the relationship front, the Aoyamas were becoming more accepted by the other Hinata House residents, Kitsune being the sole exception. She never lashed out, or was overtly hostile, but she would go out of her way to be inconvenient, and her behaviour could easily be considered rude. Keitaro and Motoko didn't understand her reasoning; Kitsune herself wasn't sure why she couldn't bring herself to get along with them, but she didn't bother expending much effort to figure out why. Whenever Naru tried to confront her about it, she'd dismiss her concerns as not being that big of a deal and change the subject. Since Kitsune was still behaving properly around the other residents, there wasn't an overwhelming pressure for her to change her behaviour.

Through all of this, Motoko's pregnancy marched on relentlessly, and all of the residents found themselves drawn into it. Whether it was helping to cook meals that would be good for Motoko, or simply making suggestions on baby names, just about everyone took part in some way, shape, or form. It seemed as though the child would have one mother, one father, and five doting aunts. Whatever problems the baby might have, lack of attention wasn't going to be one of them. Even with Kitsune's petulant streak, there were no real disturbances, until one day, about three months into the pregnancy.

XXX

Black: The absence of any colour.

Black clothing, in addition to radiating away heat, can make the wearer appear intimidating. For others, wearing black clothing can make the wearer appear more alluring. But few people can appear to be both alluring and intimidating at the same time.

Kanako Urashima was one of those people. An attractive young woman, her natural beauty was complemented by the black outfits that she favoured; she possessed a 'goth-chic' that black only emphasized. It also increased her natural intimidation factor, as many men would readily attest to. Many men had noticed her from afar, and were drawn by the 'bad-girl' aura she radiated. However, when they got close enough to see her face, the look in her eyes, and the sternness of her features caused any would-be suitors to realize that instead of 'bad', the word that came to mind was 'pain'.

This suited Kanako just fine.

As far as she was concerned, there was only one man that she would open herself up to, her older brother Keitaro. Kanako knew that she and her brother weren't related by blood, and she didn't feel any inherent creepiness at the idea of wanting her adoptive sibling. He'd always been there for her, and now she would be there for him.

She had learned where he was living through some family connections, and she had decided that it was time to make her move. She stood in the bushes, regarding the impressive façade of the Hinata House. She was proud that Keitaro was able to handle the responsibility of taking care of such a large building, even more because he was doing it alone.

Thinking about seeing Keitaro again made it difficult to resist simply running up to the house, but she held herself back, reassuring herself that infiltration and reconnaissance were the best way to achieve her goals.

There! An opportunity was presenting itself. An attractive young woman, perhaps a little older that she was, was walking out of the residence. The woman had long brown hair, was wearing glasses, and was cute, in an ordinary sort of way, Kanako decided. She was also of similar height and build. She would do perfectly.

Kanako observed the woman unknowingly walking by her, carefully making note of her facial features, clothing, walking style, and other important details. When the woman passed out of sight on her way down the stairs, Kanako began the second phase of her plan. She quickly and skilfully crafted a mask and wig that were all but indistinguishable from the real person. She pulled it over her head and then pulled on clothes that were identical to what the person she had observed had been wearing.

Kanako took a look at herself in her compact, smiled sinisterly at the results of her labours, and then walked out of the bushes towards Hinata House. She was now an almost perfect facsimile of Naru Narusegawa, and the only detectable difference was in the predatory gleam of her smile.

'Soon, oniichan, soon,' she thought to herself, as she opened the front door and walked inside.

End Chapter Four

Special thanks go out to crosseyedbutterfly, dennisud, and Kylaran Aeldin for serving as pre-readers. Without their input, I'd probably be screwed. Drinks are on me, once again.

I would welcome all feedback on this story, both positive and negative. Don't be afraid to let me have it if you think I've buggered this up. I've got a thick skin and I won't take negative feedback personally.

Hope to have the next chapter out soon, but I had to beat back writer's block for this one. I only hope I've beaten it back enough to continue promptly.


	5. HalfTruths and Consequences

Disclaimer: See Chapter Two

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter Five: Half-Truths and Consequences

By: hawker748

"And how is one of my favourite patients today?" asked Dr. Naoko Akagi.

Motoko looked up at her, the misery in her eyes apparent to all who could see. "Terrible," She growled.

"And why is that?" the doctor continued sweetly. Her cheerful, upbeat demeanour caused Motoko to scowl.

"I'm vomiting regularly, passing gas even more often than that, and my ankles are swelling. I'm always in the bathroom, either sitting on the toilet, or kneeling before it. I'm gaining weight, I'm losing my figure, and I'm going to need new clothes soon." By this time, Motoko was in the middle of a full-on rant, and she railed against the indignities that she was forced to endure.

"I can't practice the art I love or spar with my husband. My balance is going, I'm eating like a horse, and right now I'd murder for a bag of chocolate kisses. I'm going to turn into a blimp, Kei-kun's going to think I'm ugly, and he's going to leave me! I cry at the drop of a hat, I constantly have to watch what I'm doing, and Kei-kun," she spat the term of endearment as if it was poisonous, "did this to me, and he doesn't have to experience any of this! But other than that, I'm just fine!"

Concerned by his beloved's outburst, Keitaro gently placed his hands on Motoko's shoulders, trying to calm her down, only to have her smack them away.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you!" Motoko was practically frothing at the mouth by now. "This is your revenge for all the times I used to hit you, isn't it!"

"Mo-chan," Keitaro spoke in calming, almost pleading tones. "You told me to tell you when you were acting like this."

Motoko paused in her diatribe as she registered what he was saying. A crestfallen look came over her regal features, and she seemed to collapse into herself. "Oh Kei-kun, I'm sorry."

Taking Motoko into his arms, and tenderly brushing the single tear off of her cheek, Keitaro ran his fingers of his right hand through Motoko's hair. In a soft, soothing voice he said, "It's all right my love, it's just hormones and mood swings. It doesn't matter." Keitaro had become accustomed to Motoko's sudden and dramatic mood swings.

He didn't look forward to them, or how morose she was after many of them, but he was accustomed to them. "You're wrong, by the way. I think you're beautiful, and I'd rather die than live without you," he added to reassure her.

Watching the scene before her, the doctor smiled softly. This wasn't too bad at all, and she'd seen worse in her career. 'That couple in Nerima a few years back…' She shook her head to clear away those thoughts. 'Poor guy, I'm amazed he survived.'

Motoko took a deep breath to center herself. "I apologize doctor, for acting like this…"

Dr. Akagi shook her head dismissively. "It's nothing I haven't seen before. It'll pass. The important thing is that all of your tests so far have come back normal. The pregnancy is proceeding along nicely."

"I'm glad to hear that," Motoko replied sincerely. "But I thought that chamomile tea and spearmint were supposed to get rid of morning sickness."

"I said that they could help. I never guaranteed that they'd work. But you're saying now they haven't helped at all?"

"A little, I guess," Motoko reluctantly admitted. "Better than nothing, I suppose."

"Look Motoko," continued Dr. Akagi. "Pregnancy isn't an exact science. There are certain expectations, but every one is unique. But you're healthy, and so is your child. Be thankful for that."

"You're right, doctor."

Keitaro moved behind Motoko and once again placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. This time, instead of slapping it away, she put her hand on his, squeezing it in gratitude.

"So, other than the usual physiological and emotional issues, have there been any difficulties?"

"No."

"Been watching what you eat?"

"In the brief period of time before she eats it, yes," quipped Keitaro before Motoko could respond. She glared at him, but there was amusement in her eyes as well.

Dr. Akagi had to stifle her snicker. "You've been staying active?"

With a feral grin, Motoko replied, "Yes, especially last night. Poor Kei-kun couldn't stay awake afterwards."

Keitaro blushed heavily, and struggled vainly to conceal his embarrassment.

The doctor gave Motoko a knowing look. Her demeanour all but screamed, 'I know what you mean.' Forcing herself to maintain some measure of decorum, she asked, "You've been able to cope with the inherent discomfort of carrying a baby?"

"Yes, the hot springs make it a lot easier to relax after a difficult day, and soothes sore muscles," replied Motoko.

A dark look came over Naoko's features. "Wait, didn't I tell you before that hot springs are dangerous?", she asked crossly.

"It's all right doctor," Keitaro answered, making pacifying gestures. "The temperature was reduced to a safe level."

A blank look replaced the previous dark one. "You turned down a hot springs?" the doctor asked incredulously.

"We didn't, Mutsumi did," corrected Keitaro.

"Who?"

"She's our friend, and another resident," Motoko belatedly added.

"I see. So how the hell did 'Mutsumi' cool down a naturally occurring hot springs?"

"The water from underground passes through some filtering units before it enters the outdoor bath," explained Keitaro. "There's a cold water supply pipe that feeds into the system. Mutsumi simply opened up that pipe a little, which mixed with the hot springs water. You know, like putting ice cubes in a hot drink."

"So it's at a safe temperature now?" asked the doctor.

"Yes," replied Keitaro confidently. "We always check the temperature before we use it."

"We?"

"Sometimes Kei-kun joins me in the bath," clarified Motoko.

Dr. Akagi took this in stride. "That's actually a good idea. It'll be harder for you to get around later in your pregnancy, and having Keitaro there to help you will be good for the both of you." Both nodded to her as the doctor made one final notation on her clipboard and then put it down. "I think that's all for today. Everything is going well so far, so just keep up the good work you two. If any problems occur, just let me know."

"Thank you doctor," Keitaro and Motoko replied simultaneously.

"Confirm your next appointment with my receptionist, and I'll see you then. If you'll excuse me, I have another patient waiting. Good day you two." With that the doctor walked out of the room and left the Aoyamas to see themselves out. As they left, they passed a red headed girl who was muttering to herself, and looked to be about eighteen. A worried looking foreign boy accompanied her. The doctor just shook her head and waved them into her office.

After confirming the next appointment, Keitaro and Motoko slowly walked back to Hinata House, holding hands and just enjoying the company and the weather. They were chatting lightly, and everything seemed as if it was going well.

It wasn't until they were almost home that the first inklings of trouble started.

The sight of the other Hinata House residents, minus Naru, at the bottom of the steps wasn't that unusual, but the near panicked expressions that some of them wore was new.

"Sempai! Motoko! Thank the heavens you're back!" cried out Shinobu.

Alarmed by the looks of the other residents, the Aoyamas rushed over to them. "What's wrong Shinobu?" asked Keitaro.

"It's Naru, she's, she's-"

"She's gone crazy," interrupted Kitsune. "She got back and then she started acting weird."

Keitaro blinked in surprise. "Weird? What do you mean?"

"She asked me if I had a romantic interest in you," replied Sarah. She looked as if the very idea made her ill. Keitaro also felt sick when he briefly contemplated this thought.

"She pinched my cheeks and tried to rub off my markings," added Su.

"Then sh… she flipped up my skirt and commented on my panties!" Shinobu cried, blushing a shade of deep scarlet.

"She groped my boobs!" hissed Kitsune.

"And she suggested that I should pose nude," remarked Mutsumi.

Both Keitaro and Motoko's eyes grew wider at the litany of accusations. "Excuse me?" gasped Motoko.

"She met me when I came out of the bath, and she commented that if she'd had a camera, she'd make a fortune," explained Mutsumi.

"Naru's got to be possessed, that's all there is to it," muttered Kitsune.

"Possessed?" breathed Motoko, her eye twitching.

"Why else would she act like this? Unless you did something to make her snap, Keitaro," Kitsune added.

"No. NO! I didn't do anything! But why do you say she's possessed?" inquired Keitaro.

"Can you think of a better explanation?"

"Not without seeing her for myself," admitted Motoko. "Kei-kun, if Naru is possessed, I should attempt to exorcise her."

"That's too risky, Mo-chan," warned Keitaro.

"It's not that risky Kei-kun, and I'm the only one who can exorcise Naru."

"Hey! Why do I need exercise? You trying to say I'm getting fat!"

"Naru!" yelped Shinobu, as she moved back in fear. Sarah and Kitsune also found themselves taking an involuntary step back.

"What's going on here?" Naru asked suspiciously.

"Why are you acting crazy?" Kitsune shot back.

A disbelieving look sprang onto Naru's face. "What are you talking about Kitsune?" 'Have you been drinking again?' she silently added.

"Why did you grab my boobs!"

Naru recoiled at the accusation. "Are you on crack! I've been gone all morning!"

"Like hell!" retorted Kitsune. "You came back and started acting wacko!"

"But how did Naru-san get down here without using the steps?" Mutsumi wondered out loud. It's funny how those least known for insight can sometimes have the clearest view.

Silence. In unison, all of the residents turned and looked up the stairs. "If Naru-sempai's down here…" mused Shinobu.

"Then who the hell's up there?" finished Sarah.

With eyes narrowed, Naru answered. "Let's find out." She cracked her knuckles and moved to head up the stairs, only to have Keitaro stop her.

"I'll go first," interjected Keitaro, drawing his sword. Motoko drew her own sword and fell in beside her husband. They exchanged a glance, nodded in agreement at some unspoken communication, and started stalking up the stairs. The remaining Hinata House residents followed a respectful step or two behind them.

In the middle of the pack, Kitsune tried to figure out who could possibly imitate Naru and why. She paused in her ruminations and took a moment to regard the Aoyamas. The two of them were moving swiftly and confidently up the stairs, looking every inch the professional swordsmen they were. Despite her difficulties with the two of them, Kitsune was glad that they were there at that moment. A grim smile came over her features. 'Those two will make whoever that is wish they'd stayed home!'

XXX

'Naru' was currently looking around Hinata House, peeking into the rooms, and becoming familiar with its layout. She'd considered looking a little harder at the landlords room, but had decided against actively searching it at this point. 'Plenty of time for that later,' she thought. The departure of the other residents was problematic, and she admitted to herself that perhaps she came on a little too strong. 'No matter, they won't be able to trace it to me.'

As she strolled through the living room, admiring the state of repair of the former inn, 'Naru' heard the commotion of the residents as they re-approached the residence. Figuring that it was time for her to leave, she decided to depart Hinata House and let the girl she'd replaced have to explain her actions to the others. Nodding to herself, she headed outside, ready to bid goodbye to the residents, when the unexpected sight of Keitaro caused her to pause.

'Oniichan…' 'Naru's' heart skipped a beat; it had been so long since she'd seen him. Once again, she felt the urge to reveal herself and go to him. The rush of emotions the sight of Keitaro inspired caused her to not immediately register the katana that he was wielding in a threatening manner.

Belatedly, she noticed his outfit, weapon, and the fact that he wasn't alone. A tall, attractive, and identically dressed and armed woman was by his side, and she was regarding her with open hostility and suspicion. Attempting to conceal her sudden uneasiness, and forcing herself to address him by name instead of by honourific, 'Naru' called out, "Keitaro, is something wrong?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" another voice snarled in response. The crowd behind Keitaro parted, and Naru pushed her way to the front and came face to face with herself.

Shock and disbelief swept through the residents, as more than one found themselves gawking dumbly, or rapidly looking back and forth between the two Narus.

Beneath her mask, Kanako paled. 'Oh shit! I didn't think she'd be back so soon!' She hadn't considered the prospect of an armed reception committee either.

"Who are you?" her brother demanded. "What are you, a demon?" He took another step forward to punctuate his question.

Kanako found herself considering peeling off her disguise and revealing who she was, but she overruled that idea. She wasn't sure how the woman with the sword would react; Keitaro wouldn't hurt her, she was certain, but she wasn't sure about the others. The one she'd imitated was glowering at her and clenching her fists, looking as if she was eager to take a swing at her.

After a half second of reviewing her options, Kanako decided to make a break for it. She turned on her heel and bolted back into the residence, planning on hiding, or possibly adopting another disguise and attempting to slip by the residents.

The instant the intruder turned tail, Keitaro turned to Motoko and told her to stay outside with the residents. His tone brooked no argument, but as a panacea to Motoko he added, "Who knows, she might try to double back and escape." He saw that she had accepted his logic, grudgingly, and he went off in pursuit of the impostor.

"Good luck Kei-kun!" Mutsumi called out sweetly.

"Kick her ass Keitaro!" Naru yelled.

Inside Hinata House, Kanako was trying to formulate a way out of the situation she was currently in. A part of her was kicking herself for not thinking ahead and anticipating what had happened. However, she quickly realized that Keitaro was the only one chasing her, and an idea formed from that. She slowed down to allow him to nearly catch up with her, and then ran into the landlord's room, making certain that he knew where she'd gone.

Once she was inside, she threw herself flat against the wall next to the door and poised for when he came in after her. 'This isn't what I planned, but I've got no choice now.' Moments later, Keitaro ran into the room, and she grabbed him from behind, locking her arms around him, pinning his arms at his side.

XXX

The instant Keitaro ran into his room, he realized that he'd made an unforgivable error; he'd charged in blindly. His internal cursing tripled when he got grabbed from behind. 'Dumbass! Always watch your back!' Motoko had drilled that into him ruthlessly, but he'd gone and forgotten that, too excited by the chase to think clearly. The sight of twin Narus had startled him, and he'd allowed himself to get sloppy. As he shifted his weight to kick back at his opponents knee, he realized that his assailant was whispering in his ear. "Oniichan, it's me!"

'Oniichan?' The unexpected words made him pause, as his brain couldn't comprehend this unexpected occurrence. He was only dimly aware that the woman had let him go and had moved in front of him, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. Keitaro shook his head to clear it and held up his sword in a ready position, but took no offensive action. "Who are you?" This time, the question held no aggressiveness, just simple curiosity.

The Naru facsimile in front of him sighed. "I guess you wouldn't recognize me like this." Her voice was now her own, and the sound of another voice from Naru's lips was disquieting to Keitaro. "Just give me one second oniichan."

The woman then reached up behind her head, gave a sharp tug, and took her mask off, a sight Keitaro couldn't stop himself from wincing at. The face underneath was attractive, and it took him less than a second to realize who it was. "Kanako?"

Kanako smiled at that. "Yes, it's me oniichan." Seconds later, she found herself swept off of her feet as Keitaro ran over and embraced her in a hug. After a second's hesitation, Kanako returned the hug, enjoying the chance to hold her beloved older brother so intimately.

For his part, Keitaro was so happy to see his sister again that he didn't notice that Kanako's embrace went beyond the borders of familial. When he let her go, he missed the disappointment that passed over her features. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Kanako replied truthfully. It wasn't the whole truth, nor all that she had planned, but it wasn't a lie.

"Why'd you disguise yourself as Naru?" Keitaro asked suspiciously.

Now Kanako had to stretch the truth even more. "I-I was nervous. I wanted to know a little about you and the people you live with before I came to see you."

"Really?" When Kanako nodded, Keitaro pressed on. "So why did you grope Kitsune, or flick up Shinobu's dress?"

Kanako winced inwardly, and cursed herself for being careless enough to be discovered. Thinking quickly, she said the first thing that popped into her mind that sounded even remotely plausible. "I-I just wanted to know about the residents here." 'I was scoping out my competition,' she corrected silently.

Keitaro mulled that over for a minute before replying. "You should be more straightforward when learning about someone," he gently rebuked.

"Yes oniichan, I'm sorry." Kanako was relieved and delighted that her brother wasn't pressing the issue further.

"Just remember that. Hey, how did you know I was here?"

"Everyone said you were here, oniichan," she replied with a faint smile.

"Have you met everyone here? Been properly introduced, I mean," he added seconds later.

"No."

"Then let's go, I want everyone to meet my sister," he replied, his spirits rising.

"I'd like that. Can I get changed first?"

"Go ahead, I'll be outside the door." Keitaro then left the room and gave Kanako her privacy.

'Maybe this will work out after all,' she thought as she stripped out of her Naru clothing, revealing her usual black outfit. Once changed, she exited the room and followed her brother outside, ready to meet her rivals for his affection.

XXX

Motoko was worried.

From the moment Keitaro had disappeared from view, there had been no signs of activity from inside the residence. No battlecries, no sounds of damage, no one being launched through the wall. The silence was eerie to Motoko because she had no idea of what was happening. 'Could something have happened to Kei-kun?' Motoko found herself wondering. 'He's as good as I could make him, but…'

Her concern was overcoming her patience, and she found herself mentally charging in after him. Taking a deep breath and preparing to do just that, she felt a curtain of worry lift off of her when she saw Keitaro walking out of the residence. The relief was tempered when she noticed that he wasn't alone.

"Is that her?" called out Kitsune. "The fake Naru?"

"Yes," Keitaro replied sheepishly. "Listen everyone, there's something I need to explain, but first I want to introduce you to my sister, Kanako Urashima."

No one spoke. A stunned silence hung heavy in the air, broken when Keitaro nervously continued. "She dressed up like Naru so she could learn a little about you before she showed herself. She was nervous about seeing me again."

Kanako put on a vaguely guilty expression, and tried to act contrite. If Keitaro was saying this, then she wasn't actually lying to the residents, was she? Feeling bad about using her 'oniichan' like this, but not willing to stop him either, she let him explain her actions to the others.

"Your sister, huh?" remarked Kitsune. "Why am I not surprised?" 'You know something Keitaro? I used to think that I had the world's worst parents, but now I'm not so sure. Did your parents read anything more complicated than a cereal box before they started raising you two? I don't think they could have raised a more dysfunctional family if they'd phoned it in.'

"That doesn't explain why she made me look insane," growled Naru.

"I'm sorry." 'Sometimes an apology, however insincere, is better than an explanation,' mused Kanako. Naru still looked angry, but she was no longer radiating an aura of rage.

"Come Kanako, let me introduce you to everyone," Keitaro said, taking her hand and leading her to the residents.

"Thank you oniichan." Once again, Keitaro missed the adoring look that Kanako gave him.

Motoko noticed it though. The look Kanako was giving her husband caused her eyes to narrow, and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She tried to dismiss it as more hormone-induced paranoia, but Kanako's look had contained, to her eyes anyway, a touch of desire inappropriate between brother and sister.

Unaware of either his sisters desires, or his wife's concerns, Keitaro proceeded with the introductions. "Kanako, these are Shinobu Maehara, Sarah McDougal, and Koalla Su."

"Heyas Kanako!" Su called out, her usual grin in place.

"Hello Kanako," Shinobu said quietly, still a little uneasy at the woman she was greeting. After all, flipping up her skirt just wasn't right.

"Hey there!" piped up Sarah. "Nice goth look ya got goin' there."

Kanako simply nodded and prepared to meet the others. These three were too young, and she didn't see them as serious rivals for Keitaro's heart.

Moving on to the watermelon-obsessed woman from Okinawa, Keitaro continued the introductions. "This is Mutsumi Otohime."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet Kei-kun's little sister," beamed Mutsumi.

"Pleased to meet you," replied Kanako, looking carefully at the older woman. 'Attractive, but spacey. She's probably got nothing in common with oniichan.'

"This is Mitsune Konno."

"Call me Kitsune. Oh, and quit trying to grab my boobs." She crossed her arms to emphasize her displeasure at the earlier contact.

"Don't worry, won't happen again." 'I got all that I needed the last time,' Kanako silently added.

"Naru Narusegawa."

"You might say we've already met, Keitaro," Naru retorted frostily. She didn't extend a greeting to Kanako, or offer to shake hands. Indeed, she regarded her with open antagonism.

Kanako found herself frowning. 'This girl is trouble. Thick glasses, bookwormy type, just like oniichan used to be.' Her frown deepened as another thought suddenly struck her. 'Wait, why is oniichan wearing that kendo outfit? And where are his glasses?' She made a note to ask him about that later, as she was now face to face with the last resident.

"And last, but certainly not least, Motoko Aoyama, my wife."

Kanako's heart stopped mid-beat, and she went as white as new fallen snow. "What did you say?" she whispered, praying that she hadn't heard right.

"Oh, didn't you know? This is my wife Motoko Aoyama. Love of my life, mistress of the Shinmei School of kendo-"

"-And very soon, mother of his child," finished Motoko, as she took Keitaro's hand and placed it on her stomach.

Kanako felt the world start to spin around her. 'This, this can't be...he said he'd be there for me…' Her feelings of disbelief and denial surged desperately, but they took a mortal blow when she finally noticed the gold rings that her brother and Motoko were wearing. After one last gasp of virtually crazed disbelief, the truth finally took hold of her.

This proved to be too much for the young woman to absorb, and she fainted dead away. Kanako was dimly aware that Keitaro had caught her before her head hit the ground, and then she plunged into a black oblivion.

XXX

They'd brought Kanako back into Hinata House, laid her unconscious form on one of the couches, and placed a cold compress on her forehead. Once this was done, the girls began grilling Keitaro for information on his recently arrived sibling.

"So Kei-kun, why did she faint? Does she have a medical condition?" queried Motoko.

"Not that I'm aware of," replied Keitaro. "Then again, I haven't seen her in a while, so who knows."

"Why didn't she know you were married sempai?"

"She was the only family member we didn't visit. I guess I figured someone else in the family would have told her."

"So why did she come here now?" asked Naru.

"She said she came to visit me," answered Keitaro. "She must have decided it was time to get re-acquainted. That reminds me, I should have Aunt Haruka come cover. I don't think she's seen Kanako in a while either."

At that moment, Kanako began to stir on the couch. "She's coming to, Kei-kun," called out Mutsumi. In response, Keitaro went over to the couch and kneeled down next to his sister as she regained consciousness.

"Are you feeling better now Kanako?" he asked, concern etched on to his features.

Opening her eyes and blinking her vision clear, Kanako's first sight was her brother leaning over her, looking down at her, concern on his face. "Oniichan!" She sprang up and latched onto him, trying to drive away the remnants of her nightmare. 'Wait…' Against her own will, she realized that her bad dream was actually reality. 'He IS married, isn't he?' It wasn't a question, merely a reluctant confirmation.

Attempting to compose herself, Kanako let go of Keitaro, and laid back onto the couch. "How long have you been married to…her, oniichan?"

"Over a year." Keitaro, and everyone else, missed the hint of jealousy in the question.

"How did it happen?"

Keitaro sighed, and tried to figure out the best way to tell her without upsetting any of the others present. "It's a long story Kanako. It started when Motoko's sister Tsuruko came to Tokyo to visit her…" Keitaro then proceeded to explain what had happened, occasionally glancing at the other residents, and pointedly omitting details such as the love triangle between Motoko, Naru, and himself, and why he and Motoko had left Hinata House for nearly a year.

Keitaro's incomplete narrative caused an occasional eyebrow to rise, as well as a few funny looks, but the girls collectively decided not to raise an issue at the moment.

After the story was finished, Kanako lay on the couch, trying to absorb all that she had heard. "I see," she replied faintly. "I-I had no idea…"

"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just thought you would have already heard."

"You couldn't have known," Kanako continued softly. "I didn't know either, or I'd have…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"So, where are you staying?" Keitaro tried to change the subject, and lighten the tension which had unexpectedly fallen over the residence.

Kanako paused as she formulated a response. "I-I hadn't really thought about that," she admitted.

"Then you should stay here," declared Keitaro. He looked up to see a couple of frowns. Marginally raising his voice, more for the benefit of the residents than his sister, he added, "We've got extra rooms, and I haven't seen you in far too long."

"I shouldn't oniichan…"

"Nonsense," Keitaro scoffed. "I insist. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't?" Standing up, Keitaro gestured for Motoko to come with him. "Let's show her to her room Mo-chan."

"Of course Kei-kun." Motoko wasn't sure what she felt about Kanako, but she was her sister-in law, and besides, hadn't her first impression of Keitaro also been unfavourable? Once she got to know her better, she was certain that Kanako and herself would get along as well as Tsuruko and Keitaro.

XXX

"Kei-kun, why didn't you tell your sister the truth?" inquired Motoko when they'd returned to their room after showing Kanako to hers.

"What do you mean Mo-chan?"

"That was a rather edited version of what really happened. Yes, it was accurate, but it didn't include any of the more…difficult…parts."

Keitaro let out a deep sigh. "Didn't want to relive some of the more painful memories," he murmured.

"I'm sorry?"

Keitaro gave his wife a pained look. "I didn't want to upset anyone. Naru and Kitsune are still feeling upset over what happened, and I didn't want to rub salt in old wounds."

Motoko pursed her lips as she considered her husbands logic. "I suppose that makes sense…"

"Besides," continued Keitaro. "Does she have to know every single detail? We did fall in love and decide to stay together, didn't we? I know I'm glossing over some of the more difficult parts, especially with what happened to Naru, but would Kanako have to know about that? If the others hadn't been there I might have told her everything, but those are painful memories for me too, and I'd rather remember the better parts of our courtship."

"Oh really?" asked Motoko, her eyebrow arched, and a hint of a smile on her face. "What would you call the 'better parts'?"

"That's easy," replied Keitaro. "When we started training, when we first started just talking to each other, the first massage you gave me, the picnic…"

Now Motoko was openly smiling. "I knew you'd mention that."

"Hey, it was our first kiss. And it was some kiss."

"If I hadn't gotten cold feet, it could have been much more than that," deadpanned Motoko.

"Ah, yes, that was another of the 'better times'," quipped Keitaro.

Motoko playfully smacked Keitaro's shoulder for that. "In your case it was 'here for a good time, not a long time'," she teased.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Keitaro, pantomiming stabbing himself in the chest with a knife, and then twisting the blade. "That's cold. What did you expect, it wasn't like I'd had an opportunity to practice."

"Sorry Kei-kun, I couldn't resist that," she apologized. "And yes, you were much better in round two. And you've gotten much better ever since."

"Thanks Mo-chan." Nothing more was said for a few minutes, until Keitaro continued with the original subject of conversation. "I know it's sudden having Kanako staying with us like this, and she did act a little…odd…but I haven't seen her in so long, and I'd like her to be part of this if possible. She's the closest family I've got right now. My family, I mean," added quickly.

"I understand, it's just…we had finally started to get back into something approaching normalcy, and now this happens."

"I know, I know. But for what it's worth, I don't think that Kanako will be that much of a disturbance around here," Keitaro concluded.

It would be some time later that Keitaro would remember these words, and remind himself to never tempt fate like that again.

XXX

Kanako had been only vaguely aware of what was going on around her as her brother and his wife escorted her to her room, pointing out the open air bath along the way. She'd managed to force a smile when she thanked him for his hospitality and then she'd pleaded exhaustion to get some time alone in her room.

Once alone, she sat down on the futon, bent her knees up to her chest and hugged them to herself. Anyone who had known Kanako, and there were very few who did, would have been taken aback at the sight of her. She seemed much younger than she actually was, and the black clothing only added to the image of a child pretending to be all grown up.

'Wha- what do I do know?' was the clearest thought that Kanako had. She'd had a terrible day by anyone's standards. She'd made a fool of herself and been forced to reveal herself because she hadn't been careful enough to prevent her own detection. Worse, once discovered, all of her dreams had come crashing down when she'd learned that Keitaro was married. 'You said that you'd always be there for me,' she recalled sadly. 'You promised me oniichan.'

Kanako would never be able to recall exactly how long she had spent alone in the room before she'd heard the knock at the door. She snapped out of her emotional spiral and put on a more composed front. She'd adjusted her position on the futon and called out, "Come in, it's open!"

The door opened to reveal an older resident standing there, holding a bottle of sake and two glasses. 'Mitsune Konno, prefers to be called 'Kitsune',' her memory recalled. "Hello Kitsune, how can I help you?" The calmness in her voice was a polar opposite to the inner turmoil she was feeling.

Kitsune smirked. "I figured you could use a drink. Join me?" she asked, as she held up the glasses and bottle.

At the moment, getting hammered sounded like the greatest idea in the world to Kanako. "Love to."

Kitsune's smirk widened. 'I knew it,' she thought, congratulating herself on noticing that something had been troubling the younger Urashima sibling. Years of observing fellow bar patrons, as well as the other residents, had given her a PhD in human relations and reading other people. She was still angry about being deceived and groped, but perhaps Kanako could provide some useful information. She didn't know what kind of information the dark clad sister of Keitaro could have, or what she'd do with it, but she was interested in it.

After pouring two glasses and passing one over to Kanako, Kitsune toasted "Cheers!" they clinked glasses and drank, Kanako downing hers in one quick pull. 'Interesting,' mused Kitsune. "So, what's got you so upset?" she asked without preamble.

Kanako regarded the fox-eyed woman cautiously. She didn't trust her or her motives, and there was no way she was going to tell anyone what her intentions had been, at least not right away. But as troubled as she was, she reasoned that she could talk about her troubles in abstract terms, discuss what was bothering her without actually mentioning it by name. "I've just gone through a period of disappointment," she replied. 'That's the understatement of the year.'

"We get a lot of that around here," admitted Kitsune. "Can you be more specific?" She refilled Kanako's glass, hoping to loosen her tongue with alcohol.

Kanako accepted the sake, knowing full well what Kitsune had in mind. But her alcohol tolerance was pretty good, and she never misspoke when drunk. "Did you ever want something badly, worked for it, strived to make yourself the best for it, only to find out it was gone?"

"Not personally, but like I said, we get a lot of that here." Sensing Kanako's evasiveness, Kitsune decided to switch to another topic. "So what do you think of your brother being married?"

"I'm happy for him," Kanako answered with forced sincerity that Kitsune didn't notice.

"Bit of a shock, huh?"

"Yeah," answered Kanako, draining her second glass as quick as the first.

"Yeah indeed," murmured Kitsune. She presumed that she wouldn't be able to learn that much from Kanako without more subtlety, time, and alcohol, so she decided to simply stoke the fires of sibling rivalry. "How'd you like to hear the whole story about your brother's relationship?" she asked, leaning forward conspiratorially.

Kanako's eyes narrowed a little. "What do you mean?"

"He gave you the Reader's Digest version. You want the 'real' story?" Kanako's glass was swiftly refilled.

And even more swiftly emptied. "Do tell."

"What he didn't tell you is that he was involved with a girl before Motoko."

A neatly trimmed eyebrow rose. "Who?"

"The girl you imitated, Naru Narusegawa," Kitsune answered smugly.

Dark eyes narrowed further. "So what really happened?"

Kitsune sat back and began her monologue. "When Keitaro came here, he made a bad first impression, walking into the woman's bath, running around naked, that sort of thing."

Kanako's eyes flew open as wide as they could. "He did what?" she gasped in disbelief.

"He didn't realize that Hinata House was a woman's dorm, and not a hotel," explained Kitsune. "We didn't bother to let him explain, we simply chased him to the roof and kicked his ass." She smiled grimly as she continued. "Motoko and Naru would have probably de-balled him if Haruka hadn't shown up."

"Then he tricked us into thinking he was a Tokyo University student, and so we decided to let him stay. It was all good until we found out the truth, that he was a ronin. We weren't happy about that, so we threw him out, only he comes back, and it turns out that Grandma Hina has made him the landlord." Kitsune unconsciously scowled at that memory.

Kanako nodded and kept listening. Kitsune hadn't yet told her anything she didn't already know, except the part about Keitaro streaking, but she was interested to hear about it from the others perspective.

"We tried to drive him away, but he kind of grew on us, ya know?" Kitsune allowed. Her face darkened when she continued. "When he wasn't peeping on us, or falling into our bath, that is. He was aggravating, but not without some redeeming qualities. Somehow, he and Naru kind of hit it off, probably because they were studying so hard together. They even went travelling together when they both failed the Tokyo University entrance exam."

Kitsune paused in her monologue, and allowed herself to think back to that time. 'I didn't think badly of Keitaro then,' she admitted silently. 'I even tried matching him and Naru up.' "All that time together and helping each other out, I guess it was inevitable that some chemistry would develop between them."

"Despite various mishaps, both romantic and scholastic, they both got accepted into Tokyo University at the same time. They'd both learned to care for each other, but only Keitaro would admit it. When he broke his leg, he told her he loved her, but she was too freaked out to reply." So engrossed was Kitsune in her recollection, she failed to notice Kanako scowling at that. "Truth be told, Naru did care for him, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Who knows how long that might have lasted, but then Tsuruko came to town."

"Tsuruko? You mean Motoko's older sister?"

"Right the first time. She wanted to take her back to take over the family business, but Motoko was afraid that she wasn't up to it. So she said that she was engaged to Keitaro."

"Why?"

"If she was engaged, she didn't have to go. But Tsuruko found out that she was lying and banished her. Motoko tried to be a homemaker, but she took to that like oil to water. She even threw away my booze!" Kitsune snarled, startling Kanako. "Sorry. She was offered a chance to fight Tsuruko with your brother's help. If they won, everything would go back to normal. They lost, and so Keitaro and Motoko had to get married." This time, Kitsune didn't miss the flash of anger that passed over Kanako.

'So that's how it happened!' Kanako raged to herself. 'Oniichan felt sorry for her and mistook that for love!'

Kitsune was a little taken aback by the look of hostility on Kanako's features, and she paused in her monologue to regard the young woman closely. 'What the hell is going on here?' Faintly nagging doubts about the woman she was drinking with were starting to form.

Kanako noticed this scrutiny and realized that she'd be better off holding her cards closer to her vest. Forcing herself to calm down and be more restrained in her reactions, she asked Kitsune to resume her tale.

Kitsune figured that she wouldn't get any more useful information out of Kanako, so resolved to grill her later, and simply finish the story for now. "When they came back, Naru was hurt and pissed. She left for a few months to clear her head, leaving Keitaro and Motoko by themselves. Then the two of them got another chance to end it. If Motoko taught Keitaro kendo for a year, and he did it well enough to impress Tsuruko, the marriage would end, and Motoko would be reinstated. They worked like mad, but they grew closer too."

At this point, Kitsune paused to empty her own glass, refill it, and empty it again. 'This is the painful part,' she mused grimly. "When Naru came back, they both wanted Keitaro. It even came to blows when they both tried to jump him in the bath at the same time. Then Motoko tried running away with him, but we all followed them. At that point, Keitaro decided that he had to choose before someone got hurt. After a few days, he came back and chose Motoko. Naru was devastated." Kitsune remembered just how badly her friend had been hurt, and her own anger started to rise. "The two of them left here and vanished, until about two months ago, when they come and announce that they're pregnant and moving back in. Lucky us. We also find out that Tsuruko had schemed to match them up, but Keitaro didn't care. And that, Kanako, is the whole and true story."

Kanako sat there mutely, trying to reconcile what she had heard, when she suddenly realized something. "Wait, I thought you said that he made it into Tokyo University." When Kitsune nodded, Kanako asked, "Why isn't he there now? That was his greatest wish!" 'I can't believe he forgot about his promise girl! He thought about her constantly!'

"Ask him," Kitsune replied bitterly.

'Oh, poor oniichan,' thought Kanako. 'Forced to give up your dream because of that… that… hussy!' "How dare she," Kanako murmured. "How dare she trap oniichan in a forced, loveless marriage!"

"Uh, I don't think that it's loveless, and he chose to be with her," replied Kitsune. She may not have had the best feelings for Keitaro and Motoko, but she couldn't deny that they loved each other.

Kanako was beyond hearing, or caring. "No, that has to be, I know my brother." She grabbed onto this thought as a drowning man would latch onto a floating timber. "Thank you for the drinks Kitsune, but I would like some time alone now."

"Suit yourself." Kitsune picked up the glasses and bottle and walked out, a feeling of unease following closely behind her.

As the fox-eyed girl left, Kanako found herself planning what needed to be done. 'There's still time oniichan. I can still save you yet!' She wasn't sure what she would have to do, but she would be successful. Kanako Urashima would not be denied. 'I'll go with him to Tokyo University and we'll live happily ever after!'

Outside, in the hallway, the feeling of unease Kitsune was feeling had evolved into concern and worry. She felt as if she had unwittingly opened a Pandora's Box, and she wasn't looking forward to seeing what came out of it.

End Chapter Five

Thanks to dennisud and Kylaran Aeldin for serving as pre-readers. Any mistakes are mine, not theirs.

I want to thank all reviewers for their feedback and patience.

I know, I know, these aren't coming as quickly as you'd like, but I'm working as fast as I can. I've had some things I've had to deal with, and my bloody muse picked the lock on its cage, which means I have to go hunt the goddamn thing down and recapture it.

E-mails asking for the next update won't make much of a difference, but they do let me know that you're still interested, and I appreciate that. Seriously.

This will be completed, but I'm not sure when.

Thanks.


	6. Opening Moves

Disclaimer: See Chapter Two

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: hawker(underscore)748(at)hotmail(dot)com. Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter Six: Opening Moves

By: hawker748

One of Kanako's traits was her inability to fall back to sleep after she woke up in the morning. For as long as she could remember, she had never been able to sleep in because of this. She'd try, but she would eventually get frustrated laying on her futon, and she'd get up, regardless of the time. On this morning, Kanako managed to make it to just after five o'clock before she snapped awake.

Sighing to herself, Kanako turned on the light and took another look at the room she'd been given. It was nice enough, if non-descript, but Kanako hadn't honestly been dwelling on such trivialities as creature comforts when she'd come to Hinata House. She hadn't even figured on staying around; a quick look around to get familiar with the inn and it's residents, and then exfiltrate to assimilate and analyze what she'd learned.

Getting caught, and learning that Keitaro was married and soon to be a father… That hadn't been in the plans at all.

Kanako had passed out upon learning these little tidbits. Unable to reconcile Keitaro's promise to her, or his inherent shyness around women with what she'd heard, she'd gone into denial. Upon reviving, the story had been confirmed by Keitaro himself, and Kanako had had her fondest wish yanked away from her when it was all but in her grasp. Numb from shock, she had let herself be led to this room, where she'd tried vainly to deal with all that she'd discovered.

She might have sunk into despair, but for the timely arrival of another resident, who brought alcohol and the truth. How her brother had been all but blackmailed into his relationship with Motoko. Kitsune had also mentioned a relationship with Naru Narusegawa, the girl by sheer chance she'd imitated during her initial entry. Kanako wasn't concerned or interested in that relationship, only his current one. 'Poor oniichan must have been so lost and alone without me. I should have expected he'd try to reach out to someone. It's my fault, I should have come back sooner.'

Kanako was still musing on her next move as she gathered what she needed for a bath. It was 5:30, far too early for anyone else to be up, but since it was either have an early bath or stay in the room and wait, Kanako decided to start her day. She left the room, closing the door behind her, and walked through the hall towards the outdoor bath. Upon reaching the bath, she paused to reconsider. Facing the other residents in the bath, especially that girl Shinobu, would be awkward. She'd made a fool of herself yesterday, and it was unlikely that they'd be happy to see her.

'I'll use the landlords bath.' With this thought Kanako walked back upstairs. 'I think I'd prefer the privacy too.' A ghost of a smile appeared as another thought dawned on her. 'Maybe I'll bump into oniichan.' Spirits buoyed, Kanako opened the door and got her first look at Keitaro's private bath. 'So small! He has to use this while they use the outside? Poor oniichan… Well, he won't be alone in using it now.' She checked the thermostat, scowled at the low setting before she reset it to a warmer temperature. While the basin was filling with water, she washed herself, taking great care with her hair. The… woman… that her oniichan was married to could be considered attractive, Kanako reluctantly admitted, but her hair was undeniably beautiful. 'Maybe I should let mine grow…'

Morning ablutions complete, Kanako sighed contentedly as she eased herself into the wooden cistern that was the landlords bath. She arranged herself so that when Keitaro walked in, he would 'accidentally' get a good view of her. 'Gotta make sure he gets a good look, without being too obvious.' She'd lower herself into the water, slowly, and tell him to step outside, but she wouldn't be too forceful about it.

Thirty minutes passed.

Then an hour.

And then, ninety minutes.

By now, the sun had crossed the horizon and was continuing its relentless march across the sky. The water, which had started at near scalding, was now barely tepid. Kanako's hands and feet were wrinkly from soaking in the water for so long. She felt like noodles that had been cooked in the pot and then forgotten. Or perhaps a teabag left in the kettle with the last dregs of water. She'd also heard the other residents in the outdoor bath and figured that she might as well get dressed and eat. Surprising Keitaro by himself could be useful. Surprising him with the other residents there to witness it… not so useful.

Wrapping herself with a towel, which left very little to the imagination, Kanako sauntered back to her room, hoping for a chance encounter with Keitaro in the hall. This was not to be, as Keitaro and Motoko were still dead to the world, neither having even stirred yet. Back in her room, Kanako got dressed, and made herself as presentable as she could. She took a deep breath, and steeled herself before she marched to the dining room to have breakfast with the residents.

XXX

In the dining room breakfast was well underway, with all of the residents present, minus the Aoyamas of course, and the mysterious new arrival. All of the discussion in the bath had revolved around her, with terms like 'Men in Black', 'Vampirella', and 'Devil in a Black Dress', having been bandied about. Shinobu in particular had been the most rattled, and she constantly looked around, as if she was expecting Kanako to spring up out of nowhere.

Upon Kanako's entrance all conversation died off. Six pairs of eyes watched her come to the table and take a seat. Shinobu found herself unconsciously edging away from Keitaro's younger sister. As usual, Mutsumi was the first to overcome the tension in the air. "Good morning Kanako-chan! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes… I did," Kanako replied, making an effort to appear meek and non-intimidating. It wasn't very successful, as the residents continued to keep a wary eye on her. Kanako accepted a plate from Mutsumi with a nod and began eating, scarcely looking up from her food. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, she asked the question that she'd been wondering about since she'd entered the kitchen. "Where… where are oniichan and… Motoko?" The last word was spoken with faint disapproval.

"They usually sleep late," Kitsune replied glibly.

Kanako merely grunted in response.

Glancing at the clock, Kitsune added, "But I'm sure they'll be getting up shortly. Five, four, three, two, one…" Just as she finished the countdown, the familiar sound of heavy footfalls came from upstairs, followed by the sound of Motoko purging her stomach.

Kanako looked up in confusion, before she belatedly comprehended what she was hearing, nodding her head. "Morning sickness, right?"

The other residents nodded in reply.

Kanako resumed eating, attempting to remain calm and not reveal how much she wanted to see her brother again. But try as she might, she wasn't able to conceal her surprise at his haggard appearance. "Oniichan! My god, are you alright?"

"Good morning Kanako," Keitaro called out. "I just hate mornings."

Noticing that none of the others had even raised an eyebrow at the pairs disheveled appearance, Kanako turned to Naru and blurted out, "Does he always look like that?"

"We do," replied Keitaro, looking bleary eyed as he ate his breakfast. Motoko gave the slightest nod in agreement. "Don't worry Kanako, we'll be fine after our run."

"Run?"

"Yeah, run. You know, jogging?"

"Every morning?"

"Usually."

"Unless we don't feel up to it," Motoko added. "But that's quite rare."

"I see…" If one listened closely, one could almost hear the gears in Kanako's head beginning to turn.

The rest of the breakfast was eaten in relative silence, comfortable for all but Kanako. There were things she wanted to say, but now wasn't the time or place. Eventually, everyone was finished eating, and Shinobu started gathering up the remnants of the meal for clean-up.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Motoko stood up, thanked Shinobu for the excellent breakfast, then turned to Keitaro and said, "Ready for our run Kei-kun?"

"As soon as I change Mo-chan."

"Oniichan!"

"Yes Kanako?"

Swallowing to appear uncertain, Kanako asked, "Would, would you mind if I ran with you and Motoko?"

Keitaro blinked in surprise. "Run with us?" When Kanako nodded in reply, Keitaro asked the obvious question. "Why?"

"I haven't seen you for a long time, and I'd like to spend some time with you. Um, unless that's your special time with Motoko," Kanako added as an afterthought.

Keitaro looked at his wife to see what she thought. Motoko gave him an indifferent shrug. Privately, she disliked the idea of her time with Keitaro being interrupted, but Kanako was his sister after all. One morning wasn't too much of a sacrifice. "I don't mind if she joins us Kei-kun."

"Alright, then meet us in the living room when you're ready to go Kanako," Keitaro called out as he headed upstairs to change.

A thin smile appeared on Kanako's features. "I'll be there," she murmured, as she went to her room to begin the first phase of her plan to 'rescue' Keitaro.

Shinobu stayed in the kitchen to finish the cleaning, while Mutsumi and Su headed off to the gaijin Princess's room, discussing the appropriate use of hot-springs turtles in the home. For no reasons other than curiosity, Naru and Kitsune walked to the living room, interested in seeing what would develop.

They didn't have long to wait. In less than five minutes the Aoyamas were in the room, stretching for their run and waiting for the third member to arrive. It wasn't until nearly ten more minutes passed before Kanako Urashima finally appeared at the top of the stairs.

"You're running in -that-?" blurted out Kitsune, before she could stop herself.

'-That-' was a running ensemble that would have caused any half serious athlete to do a double take. Kanako was wearing black bicycle shorts, very short and very tight, and a black halter top, also matching the same skin-tight description. The shoes weren't stiletto heels, but that was the only concession to sensibility. Even her hair was done, and she was wearing make-up.

Keitaro looked up at his younger sister and was taken aback. "I thought you said you wanted to run with us!"

"What do you mean oniichan?" Kanako asked innocently.

"How do you run in that outfit?"

"I've run in this before, oniichan," Kanako replied confidently. 'I also look great in it,' she added silently.

"Well, if that's what you want… Let's go."

Kanako assuredly followed her brother and his wife out the door. She was no couch potato, she'd show him what she could do.

XXX

Kanako had always taken care of herself, keeping herself svelte and trim, while retaining her feminine curves.

Her loathing of sweets had made it easy to eat sensibly, and she'd always tried to stay active. She'd run a few times a week, and done some light weight lifting to keep herself toned and in shape. If asked, she would have confidently stated that she was better conditioned than was the norm in society.

Just over a mile and a quarter into the run, Kanako was re-evaluating her own fitness levels.

She'd run before, but never at the pace that the Aoyamas had set. They were running faster than Kanako had ever done, even at the end of a jog when she wanted to finish strong, and they'd kept this up for the entire distance. Kanako was gasping for breath, struggling to maintain her co-ordination, and trying to keep from throwing up. The only thing that was keeping her from collapsing was the shame that would result if she let this Motoko woman beat her this soundly. 'She's pregnant, but she's still running me into the ground!' Kanako realized bleakly.

Looking ahead, she was dismayed to realize that not only were her brother and sister-in-law not struggling, they were even holding a conversation as they ran. When Keitaro laughed at something that Motoko said, Kanako was astounded that he'd been able to spare the oxygen, whereas she felt as if she was going to need an oxygen tank when she was finished.

Noticing the perspiration that was dripping off her chin, as well as running down her spine, Kanako began to rue the decision to wear make-up; she probably looked like a raccoon right now, never mind what her hair must have looked like. She was beginning to believe that collapsing in an exhausted heap might actually be less humiliating than trying to keep pace. As if in answer to an unspoken prayer, the residence finally came back into view. 'I made it! Just a few more yards and it'll be all over!'

However, when Keitaro and Motoko reached the bottom of the stairs they bid each other goodbye, and Motoko put on a heart breaking burst of speed as she shot up the stairs towards the residence. Her brother gave his wife a quick wave and kept running down the sidewalk.

A conflict developed in Kanako's psyche. On one hand, her body was demanding that she head up the stairs and put an end to this torture. On the other hand, her heart was telling her to maintain the pursuit of her brother, both figuratively and literally.

While the prospect of rest was almost irresistible to her, the call of her heart won out, and she pushed herself to keep on running. Fortunately for her, Keitaro happened to look back over his shoulder and he noticed her obvious discomfort. Slowing his pace, he allowed her to catch up with him. Kanako might have thanked him, or at least smiled at him, but she couldn't spare the energy, even at this reduced pace.

"Pace to much for you?" Keitaro asked unnecessarily. Kanako's difficulty was plain to see.

Kanako tried to reply, but she couldn't even croak out a half-hearted denial.

Understanding the pain his sister was experiencing, Keitaro ceased jogging and slowed even further to a brisk walk, which Kanako gratefully matched, even as she tried to regain her breath and composure.

"You're, in, better shape… than I remember," Kanako finally gasped out. "How did this happen?"

"A lot of hard work," replied Keitaro with a smile.

"You, you enjoy this?" Kanako rasped incredulously.

"Of course. You'll feel better in a few minutes Kanako. 'Runner's high', and all that."

Wheezing, and gagging on phlegm, Kanako briefly wondered if her brother was high. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Over a year. Running, sparring, kendo, I try to keep active."

"You aren't upset at having to do this for her?"

"Why would I be?" Keitaro sounded as though the idea was unthinkable to him.

This wasn't lost on Kanako, and she sighed internally. "You weren't like this growing up, you were kinda lazy."

Keitaro shrugged. "I changed."

"Why?"

"I like who I am now, Ka-chan, its as if I finally discovered who I really am." He smiled a genuine smile. "I've never felt so, so… alive." Keitaro gave his sister a sideways glance, noticing that she was only now starting to regain her composure.. "And it's nice to be able to run a few miles without looking like warmed over death."

Inspiration.

A strategy suddenly occurred to Kanako.

"Then why don't you show me?" she asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Show me how rewarding all of this effort can be," answered Kanoko. "Train me."

A flustered Keitaro couldn't think of a response to that as he mulled over what she had asked of him. After a minute of contemplation, he replied, "Why?"

"I want to understand you oniichan." 'And maybe I can use this to get closer to you,' Kanako added silently.

"What kind of training do you mean?"

"Just like yours."

Keitaro pursed his lips. "I, I don't know about that Kanako…"

"Why not? I'm willing."

"I think I should ask Mo-chan about this."

"What for?"

"It's her family school."

"But Oniichan, I'm your sister!" protested Kanako

"And she's my wife," Keitaro reminded her.

Kanako silently grit her teeth and once again cursed her decision to not come back earlier. "All right then. Could you please ask her for her permission to teach me?" She hoped that her oniichan didn't notice how strained her smile was.

He didn't. "Sure, no problem."

Kanako nodded in thanks, and purposely switched subjects as the two of them walked back to Hinata House. She asked him about the past two years or so, trying to learn how Motoko had managed to exact such a tight hold on him, and try to figure out a way to break it.

Upon their return and after climbing the steps to the residence, Kanako told her brother that she needed to rest for a while, so while Keitaro took leave of her to go get cleaned up. He went up to his room, changed into a robe, picked up his bathing supplies, and headed for the outdoor bath.

Once Keitaro made certain that Motoko had hung up the sign, he walked into the changing area, removed his robe, put on a towel and went outside. Motoko was resting in the tub, eyes closed. To the casual observer, she looked to be asleep, but as Keitaro approached her, she called out to him without opening her eyes. "You're a little late."

"Had a little chat with Kanako," he replied.

Motoko opened her eyes and looked at her husband. "And how did it go with her?"

Keitaro chuckled to himself as he entered the bath and took a seat next to Motoko. "Not too bad, I gues. She didn't throw up, but I think she really wanted to."

Motoko smiled thinly. "So you didn't push her too hard?"

"She's my sister, so I went easy on her."

"Don't think she could endure training?"

"Funny you should mention that, Mo-chan."

"What do you mean?"

Keitaro took a deep breath. "She asked me to train her."

Motoko's brow beetled in confusion. "Train her? Why?"

Keitaro shrugged. "She wants to know what it's like, and why I'm so committed to it."

Motoko thought back to the look Kanako had given her husband and frowned. "That's the only reason?"

"That's what she said."

Motoko lowered herself further into the warm waters of the out door bath. "What did you tell her?" she asked after a couple of moments of contemplation.

"Didn't say anything, one way or the other," Keitaro replied. "It's your family school after all, who am I to say yes or no?"

"It's your school too now, Kei-kun," Motoko replied with a faint smile and an affectionate squeeze of his hand. "But it's sweet of you to ask."

"Thanks Mo-chan. So, should I train her?"

"Will she stick to it?"

"I, I don't know…"

Motoko's distrust of Keitaro's younger sister returned to the forefront. "You know how much devotion our school requires Kei-kun. If she's not willing…" Privately, Motoko had a strong aversion to Kanako being alone with her husband, but she knew that she had no reasonable grounds for it.

Keitaro pondered this for a minute before replying. "What about just trying to get her into shape, see what she's willing to do, be before we start training her?"

"We?"

"I can't teach her what you taught me, I won't be able to do it right."

"Kei-kun, you're good enough to instruct others now, beginners at least."

"You're flattering me."

"I'm serious. You're not as good as Tsuruko or me, but you've learned much since we started," Motoko insisted.

"But, what do I do?"

"Think back to how you were taught."

"You hit me with a bucket of ice water, and then with the bucket," Keitaro pointed out to his wife.

"You don't have to do that." 'But I wouldn't mind at all if you did,' Motoko added silently. She sighed deeply. 'When did I get this catty? There's nothing to be worried about, she's his SISTER. Damn mood swings. I must be an idiot, letting myself think like this.'

To ease her troubled thoughts, Motoko moved next to Keitaro and leaned against him, sighing contentedly when he wrapped his arm around her. After a few minutes of this, she spoke again. "It shouldn't matter at first, right? You're just trying to get her into shape. Run with her for a while, and if she stays interested, well… we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Sounds good me Mo-chan," replied Keitaro, as he closed his eyes and let the hot springs soothe away his cares and concerns.

They stayed in each others arms for about ten minutes, and probably would have stayed even longer, if there had not been an unexpected intruder into their solitude.

"Oniichan, are you here?" called out Kanako.

'Kanako?' Keitaro thought blankly, before the realities of the current situation dawned on him. "Kanako? What the hell are you doing?" he yelped.

"There you are oniichan," Kanako replied, seemingly unaffected by the awkwardness of the moment. She walked out serenely, wearing a pleasant smile, and a wrapped towel that ended at least a foot above the knee. She had removed all traces of the make up that had been smudged and smeared in the run, and her delicate features were clearly visible.

All in all, she cast an extremely striking figure. Unfortunately, neither of the people in the bath were in the right frame of mind to appreciate it.

Motoko sat where she was, stunned into immobility by the absurd unreality of the moment. She even briefly entertained the notion that she'd fallen asleep, and that this was some strange dream brought on by her pregnancy. A discrete pinch put that notion to rest, and forced her to realize that this wasn't some hormone induced phantasm she was seeing.

Keitaro, the target of Kanako's brazen display, did find himself staring at his sister for a second or two, the clinical portion of his mind noting that she was indeed an attractive specimen, before his higher functions regained their control. He mentally stomped on any notion that his sister might be sexually attractive, and attempted to protect his modesty. He immersed himself up to his chin, and covered himself with his hands, even though there was little chance Kanako could see him under the water.

"Are you crazy Kanako? Didn't you see the sign?" yelled Keitaro, when he finally got his act together enough to talk. He was staring intently at the surface of the water, determined not to gawk at, ogle, or even glance at his sister the way she was currently, for lack of a better word, dressed.

"Yes, what about it?" Kanako replied nonchalantly.

"It said, 'Keep Out!'" cried Motoko.

"Oniichan and I used to bathe together when we were younger," Kanako replied innocently.

"We were kids then!" squawked Keitaro. 'You didn't look like…' He wasn't able to finish the silent afterthought. He was keeping his eyes focused on the water, but images of his sister wearing only that towel came into his mind unbidden. The inherent loveliness of that sight was overridden by how disturbing that thought was to Keitaro. Closing his eyes and shaking his head to eliminate any thought of Kanako in that light, he finally rediscovered his voice. "Would you please step out until we're finished?"

"But oniichan…"

"Now Kanako!" snarled Motoko. She was glaring daggers at Kanako, incensed at the interruption of her private time with her husband. The fact that this experience reminded her of the fateful run-in with Naru bothered her even more. She also couldn't explain the feelings of jealousy and possessiveness that Kanako inspired in her.

"As you wish." Kanako turned around and walked back to the changing area, putting a subtle strut in her gait. Her display went unnoticed, as Keitaro was still intently studying the surface of the water. She smiled to herself; she'd had no illusions about just sauntering in and sweeping Keitaro off of his feet, but she'd noticed the faint blush that came over his face before he'd averted his eyes. She now knew that he found her attractive, she just had to figure out someway to get him to see her as something other than his younger sister.

Motoko glared at the younger Urashima until she was gone, before turning on her husband. "What on earth is she doing?" Her eyes narrowed as she considered something Kanako had said. "The two of you used to bathe together?"

"Not since we were children!" Keitaro cried. He looked up carefully, ensuring that his sister was gone. "Not for a long, long time," he reiterated. "She's my sister for crying out loud!"

Motoko bit back a retort and took a deep breath to calm herself. 'It's normal for siblings to bathe together,' she reminded herself. 'Tsuruko and I have bathed together.' This admission eased her feelings of jealousy. 'But Tsuruko and I are both women,' the skeptical part of her mind pointed out.

Mrs. Aoyama turned to look at Mr. Aoyama. He looked like he'd been rattled by the encounter with his sister. Embarrassment was written all over his face, and he seemed unsure about what to do next. Smiling faintly, Motoko allowed some of her vexation to ebb away. "I'm sorry I got upset Kei-kun, but she's too old to just walk in on you when you're bathing."

"I know! I know! I never imagined that she'd do that." Mentally, Keitaro was doing all that he could to purge the brief image of his sister wearing a towel. He found it to be a little more difficult than he expected. "I'll let her know she can't do that," he promised.

Nodding at his reassurance, Motoko stood up, with a little assistance from Keitaro, and the two of them retired to the changing room to get dressed.

XXX

True to his word, Keitaro explained to Kanako that she couldn't join him in the bath anymore, and that when the sign was posted no one was allowed in the bath.

Kanako accepted the rebuke contritely, and promised not to do it again. Privately, she was already coming up with loopholes in her promise to exploit.

The day continued without further incident until dinner. Everyone had gathered in the dining, and supper was well underway, when Tama-chan flew in, buzzing all the residents, before gently landing on Shinobu's head.

"What the hell is THAT?" shrieked Kanako, jumping to her feet in surprise.

"That's our pet turtle, Tama-chan," replied Keitaro.

"Since when do turtles fly?" Kanako asked in disbelief.

"She's a special hot springs turtle," Mutsumi answered sweetly.

"Very special," added Su. "And probably delicious."

"I see…" Kanako murmured as she sat back down uneasily, keeping an eye on the turtle. Under other circumstances, the sight of the turtle happily resting on Shinobu's head would have been unbearably cute, but Kanako was still trying to accept the idea of a turtle being considered airworthy.

Wanting to put herself back in control of the proceedings, Kanako queried her brother. "Have you decided whether or on you'll train me oniichan?"

"Train you? Why?" asked Naru.

"I want to get closer to him," Kanako replied.

'How close?' Naru asked silently, unknowingly mirroring Motoko's thoughts.

"Mo-chan and I talked it over, and we decided that it'll be all right if I train you."

"Thank you oniichan," beamed Kanako.

"But there are conditions," added Keitaro.

Kanako frowned. "What kind?"

"Are you serious about this Kanako?"

"Of course oniichan."

"Are you willing to do anything that I ask of you?"

Kanako felt a brief moment of giddiness that she managed to conceal. 'You have no idea oniichan,' she thought dreamily. "Yes."

"Good. Before you learn any kendo, you're going to have to get in shape."

"But I am in shape," protested Kanako.

"If running two miles nearly kills you, you aren't in shape Kanako," rebuked Keitaro. "I thought you said you were serious."

"I am serious oniichan. Sorry." apologized Kanako. 'It'll be worth it for you.'

"We'll see. We'll start tomorrow."

"Thank you."

XXX

After dinner Keitaro and Motoko went out for a walk together, saying that they wanted to discuss baby names. Kanako had debated asking if she could go with, but she figured that she'd already pushed her luck for the day and decided to talk to him when he got back.

It was a beautiful night for a walk, and while Motoko found it pleasant, her enjoyment was hampered by how her ankles were swelling. She tried to hide it, but Keitaro finally noticed, and he unilaterally decided that it was time to go home. He wasn't very successful in helping her, as she politely, but stubbornly, refused his assistance for the rest of the journey.

"Kei-kun, you don't have to help me to our room, I can still walk to our room…" Motoko reminded him, as she brushed off his attempt to help her up the staircase.

"I know Mo-chan, but I don't mind. Besides, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"You're getting over protective again Kei-kun," warned Motoko, although she was secretly thankful for his concern.

"Mo-chan, we can't be too careful."

"That doesn't mean I can't move around."

"I never said that, I just want to make sure nothing bad happens." Keitaro opened the door to their room, lead Motoko inside, and closed the door behind them. "I won't treat you like you're glass Mo-chan, but I want to insure you both are safe."

Motoko found herself shaking her head. Whatever Keitaro's methods, she couldn't find fault with his intentions. "We'll be safe Kei-kun, I won't do anything the book says I shouldn't."

"Will you keep doing katas?" Keitaro knew how much the sword meant to his wife, and the idea of even temporarily giving it up was painful to her.

"I don't think that I can," she confirmed. "No actions that involve sharp, sudden, or jerking movement," Motoko quoted.

Keitaro grimaced. "What's left?"

"Stretching, light jogging, yoga, swimming, and other non-impact activities," Motoko replied. "But even walking is getting difficult. Look at my ankles!"

Keitaro glanced down, and her ankles had swollen even more. "Sit down Mo-chan, let's see what I can do." Keitaro helped Motoko onto the futon, then he sat down in front of her and took her right foot in his hands, removing the slipper and sock.

A wave of self-consciousness washed over Motoko. "It's all right Kei-kun you don't-"

"Shhh… Just relax." Grasping her foot with both of his hands, Keitaro used his thumbs to knead Motoko's heel and his fingers to rub the top of her foot. He kept this up for a few minutes, before he let go with his right hand and moved it to support the ankle. Once there, he began to massage it between his fingers and the heel of his hand.

Motoko felt herself begin to relax, and she closed her eyes and laid back, deciding to just enjoy the moment. Her foot was already feeling better due to Keitaro's careful ministrations. The sensation of him squeezing and kneading her foot was luxuriant, almost decadent, and she felt herself smiling.

Keitaro smiled to himself as he felt the tension ebb away from Motoko, and he redoubled his efforts when she began to hum contentedly. "Better Mo-chan?"

"Hmmm, yes Kei-kun," Motoko purred.

Keitaro continued the massage for about ten minutes, constantly changing the position of his hands, focusing all of his efforts in making his wifes right foot feel better. Once he was done, he gently placed her right foot down and picked up her left one.

Moaning softly, Motoko reveled in the experience of the blissful foot massage. Keitaro had learned well; his technique had improved dramatically during their time together. The first time he'd attempted to rub her feet, all that he'd succeeded in doing was discovering how ticklish she could be. While that had been fun in it's own way, it hadn't been very therapeutic.

Now Keitaro only tickled her if he wanted to, and that was never during a massage. He was sensuous in his touch, and Motoko found herself wondering if he would take it any further.

After another ten wonderful minutes that passed far too quickly for Motoko's liking, Keitaro finished massaging her left foot. "Thank you Kei-kun," Motoko said dreamily.

"Happy to help Mo-chan."

"Take off your shirt and lay on your stomach," Motoko replied without preamble.

"Um, uh, there's no need to do that…" Keitaro stammered.

"Now, Kei-kun."

"You don't need to go to the trouble-"

"NOW, Kei-kun," Motoko emphasized.

Not willing to argue with his wife when she used that tone of voice, Keitaro immediately acquiesced. 'She doesn't need to put herself out like this, she should take it easy…' Keitaro let out a deep breath when Motoko straddled his hips and started massaging his shoulders. 'Then again…. She said she wouldn't over exert herself.' His resolve faded as Motoko began to work out the stress in his shoulders.

'I can stay active,' thought Motoko, unknowingly thinking along the same tangent as her husband. She heard Keitaro sigh as her hands rubbed over his shoulder blades. 'For someone so worried about me having too much stress, his back is as tight as a drum skin,' she mused. A wicked gleam came over her eyes as she came to a decision. 'Only one way to get rid of all of Kei-kun's worries.'

Keitaro was feeling both serenity and guilt; serenity at what Motoko's efforts were doing to him physically, and guilt that he was taking pleasure from her efforts. It felt wonderful, but he should have been willing to refuse it, or at least cut it short. He was working up the determination to thank her and get up when he felt her hands come to rest on his shoulders. 'Ah, she's finished. Now I won't have-' The rest of that thought was cut off when he felt Motoko's hair drape across his back, followed shortly by two warm, soft, but still firm masses pressed against his shoulder blades.

Motoko saw Keitaro look over to where she had discarded her shirt and bra. She felt him tense his shoulders and prepare to push himself up. In response, she shoved him down hard by his shoulders and placed her lips next to his left ear. "You just relax now, Kei-kun," she whispered huskily.

Keitaro let his head drop back onto the pillow and allowed himself to relax and savour the indulgent experience of his wife massaging him with her body. The feeling of her warm breasts rubbing across his back was beyond description.

Keitaro allowed himself to get swept up in the experience, and soon he and Motoko were lost in the captivating rhythms of physical love.

At the end, the two of them stayed locked together for a few brief moments before they separated. Motoko nuzzled up against Keitaro, kissing him deeply. Breaking the kiss, Motoko reached down to pull up the blankets, while Keitaro turned off the lamp next to the futon. In the enveloping darkness, the sated couple held each other close and both were asleep within five minutes.

XXX

It was almost ironic, if one considered it. Countless times Kitsune had leaned against her wall, or pressed a glass against it, and in at least one case drilled some peepholes in order to get some evidence of Keitaro and Naru doing something sexual. She'd never really considered what she would have done with any photographic or video evidence, although eBay was a tempting thought, but in the end there had never been any sexual activity between those two. But Kitsune had taken many chances, even been poked in the eye by Naru, all for naught.

But now that she had no interest in such things, she had abundant evidence of sexual activity in the landlord's room. She hadn't actually witnessed it, for which she was fervently grateful, but if she'd wanted to, she could have recorded miles of audiotape of Keitaro and Motoko's lovemaking sessions. She'd even gone into Keitaro's room once to have a talk with him, and the lingering scent of sex in the air had caused her to wrinkle her nose. 'That's probably why they got those damn scented candles,' she mused. The cloyingly sweet smell wafted into her room from time to time, and the stench seemed to hang in the air.

Kitsune sighed. Hinata House's expectant couple were at it again. Keitaro was the owner of the residence, and he and Motoko were happily married, at least that's what it sounded like, and it was their right to do as they wished in their room. 'But couldn't they be a little more discrete about it? I thought women were supposed to lose sexual desire when they get pregnant!' raged Kitsune. 'If that's less desire, than they must have gone at it like rabbits before this happened!'

She debated getting up from her futon and kicking the wall to complain, but with her luck it would just punch a hole and that would make it worse. And for some reason she couldn't name, she didn't want Keitaro and Motoko to know that they'd upset her.

'_What about you, Kitsune! Where's your man?'_

Naru had asked her that once, when she was pissed at one of her schemes to get Naru and Keitaro together. At the time she'd simply deflected that back at Naru by pretending to have harbored some romantic feelings for Keitaro, and even acting like she would kiss him. Her ploy had resulted in Naru vehemently objecting, and being forced to acknowledge the fact that she did care for Keitaro.

But that question echoed through her mind at the present, in counterpoint to Motoko's gasps of pleasure, and Kitsune found herself having to admit that she had no answer for that question. 'Reserved Motoko has a better life than I do. I'm the most outgoing person here and I'm alone!' Kitsune found herself blinking rapidly. 'I'm not crying, it's just too goddamn dusty in here,' she thought to herself.

Kitsune dealt with her feelings in her usual way; she took a large swig from the closest open bottle and held her pillow over her head, trying unsuccessfully to block out the rest of the world. Deep down however, she was wondering just how close she was to bottoming out, and what would happen if and when that occurred.

XXX

'They're at it again,' thought Naru, as the sounds from below drifted into her room. It was all but impossible to sleep with that going on, so all that she could do was lay there, feeling vaguely embarrassed, and wait for them to finish. Even using the pillow as earplugs didn't seem to help; she could still hear it somehow, so waiting it out was the only choice.

The first time she'd heard Keitaro and Motoko make love, the day they'd returned after an absence of nearly a year, she'd come this close to reopening the hole in the floor with her fists. Naru would've jumped down into the room, and exacted a spurned maidens vengeance against Mr. Aoyama. But as powerful as the urge had been, it had passed quickly, replaced by a renewed sense of jealousy and envy. By daybreak, these feelings had faded away like the pre-dawn mist. Sadness reigned, but nowhere near as powerful as it had been when they'd left.

The long months of separation had allowed her to come to terms with her feelings, and at breakfast she hadn't even mentioned being disturbed. She was even a little surprised when Kitsune had made a not very subtle remark that everyone seemed to miss.

'I'm over Keitaro,' Naru told herself as the sounds from the landlords room reached their peak and faded away to silence. 'I may have carried a torch for him in the past, but not any longer. He's Motoko's, and I'm happy for them. Really, I am!' She knew this was mostly true, but there was still some very small part of her that still needed some closure. 'Motoko's pregnant, and he's the father. How much more 'closure' do I need?'

Naru shook her head in disgust. This was ridiculous. She couldn't go on thinking about what might have been, she had to move on with her life. 'I need to talk to them,' she decided. 'I need to say what I need to say, and after that, maybe, maybe I'll be able to put this all behind me.' She briefly imagined herself talking to the Aoyamas. 'Say Keitaro, did you know that I still have feelings for you?' Naru let out a cynical chuckle. 'Oh, that's brilliant. Sleep on this Naru, before you stick your foot into your mouth.' Naru spent some time staring at the spot on the floor where the hole had been, before she finally feel asleep.

XXX

Of all the people who happened to overhear Keitaro and Motoko's encounter, none were as affected as Kanako. She'd been outside his door, hand raised to knock, when her eyes had gone wide when she'd suddenly realized what she was hearing. She'd stood there, motionless, incapable of movement, unwillingly listening to her brother and his wife celebrating their love. When she'd finally regained the use of her legs, she'd quietly and quickly hurried back to her room, tears streaming down her face.

'Damn that woman, taking oniichan like that?' she raged silently. Kanako was sure that there was nothing between her brother and that Aoyama woman, but she couldn't deny that there wasn't some physical chemistry between them. A little voice in the back of her head questioned her assessment, but she menaced the dissenting voice into silence.

'I know he finds me attractive, I just have to get him to think of me as a lover, not a sibling Once I do that, everything else will just fall into place,' Kanako concluded. 'Now all I have to do is figure out how to get him to fall in love with me,' she added soberly. 'Maybe during our training…'

Kanako spent the rest of the evening plotting how she was going to become the most important person in her brother's life.

End of Chapter 6

OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!

Dr. Naoko Akagi MD OB-Gyn

Dr. Akagi was craving a cigarette. This wasn't unusual, as the cravings never went away, even after six years without a smoke. Her job was both a help and a hindrance; the constant parade of expectant mothers reminded her why she'd given up the habit, but the stresses of the job would have been easier to deal with if she'd been able to light up a Lark or two.

She was mostly able to resist the lingering urges, but when she had woken up this morning, an intense craving had gripped her, almost prompting her to buy a pack and light up. Fortunately the sight of her daughter Ritsuko at the breakfast table had been all the reinforcement she'd needed. 'She's why I quit in the first place.'

Her day at her practice had brought the craving back a little, but she'd worked through more intense cravings than what she was experiencing. After washing her hands after using the bathroom, she walked into exam room one, absently picking up the file from the slot on the door. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Ikuhara."

"Good morning doctor," The young man replied. The young woman merely nodded. There was nothing unusual about the boy, save for the fact that he appeared to be about high school age, but the girls appearance gave Naoko pause. She was unquestionably attractive, but she had long sea-foam green hair pulled into three strands, and piercing blood red eyes.

Unconsciously, the doctor found her hands clenching into tight fists before she realized what she was doing and relaxed. 'Where did that come from?' she wondered. Belatedly, she also noticed that the girl was wearing a collar. 'Some kind of cosplay?' "Have you had any difficulties so far?" she asked.

The woman shook her head. "Ren has not had any problems with master's child."

The young man blanched.

Naoko felt her eyebrow twitch. "Excuse me?"

"Master's child has not caused Ren any problems."

The man jumped across the room and clapped his hand over Ren's mouth. "No, no, no, Ren, you can't call me that!" he yelped.

"Ren is sorry mas-, I mean Takeya," she apologized.

Takeya nodded and slowly turned to look at the doctor. He flinched at the look of disapproval on her face. "She's a foreigner, she got some words wrong learning the language and she sometimes calls me master but that's all there is to it!" he babbled.

'He wouldn't make up something that stupid,' Naoko reasoned. 'Still...' The situation was odd enough to kick-start her cigarette craving. "Was this a planned pregnancy?" she asked, trying to maintain her professionalism.

"No," the young man replied. "It wasn't planned. We were in Hokkaido, on vacation. Ren wanted to see where the melon for melon bread comes from."

"Why?" Naoko inquired, curious as to the reason.

"Ren loves melon bread," the girl replied. She slipped her arms around Takeya and continued. "Neither Ren or master knew that fresh melon worked like aphrodisiac for Ren." She hugged him affectionately as Takeya looked like he was embarrassed beyond belief.

"I see," Naoko replied. "Fill out these forms and I'll be with you shortly." She walked out of the room shaking her head in disbelief. 'It's gonna be one of those days…' She was mentally calculating the time it would take to walk out to a buy a pack of cigarettes as she walked into exam room two, picking up the file as she entered. "Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Masaki…" The rest of the statement died as she realized how many people were in the room.

"Hello doctor," replied the young man, also about high school age. He looked as if he was carrying a burden. The burden seemed to be the four women who were in the room with him. Three of the women were gazing adoringly at him, while the fourth woman- 'No, she's only a girl,' Dr. Akagi realized. She grimaced. If this was a case of statutory rape, this would get unpleasant.

Wetting her lips and trying to moisten her suddenly dry mouth, Naoko managed to ask, "Which of you is pregnant?" She breathed a sigh of relief when the girl said nothing, but her head spun when the woman all nodded serenely. "Who are you the father to?" she asked the man.

"All of them," he mumbled almost unintelligibly.

"All of them?" Naoko asked numbly.

"That's correct," replied a regal looking woman with purple hair. "Lord Tenchi blessed us all with his noble seed."

"Took him long enough didn't it, Ayeka-chan?" asked the woman with spiky cyan hair.

"How true Ryoko-chan." the woman replied.

"But it was so nice of him to do it," added the third woman with a tan complexion and light blond hair.

The boy, one Tenchi Masaki according to the file, stared at the top of his shoes in response. "Why did you father three different children?" the doctor asked incredulously, in spite of herself.

"Couldn't make up my mind," he mumbled in response.

By now Naoko's craving was back with a vengeance. "Why are you here?" she asked the only not pregnant female in the room, besides herself.

"I'm curious about the strange way that they've been behaving," she replied.

Naoko smiled thinly. "That's just hormones at work. After the pregnancy, their hormone levels will go back to normal and their usual behavior will return."

"Oh no! Can't you make it so the hormones stay unbalanced?"

Naoko goggled. "Why?'

"They're never this well behaved!" she answered. "The way it is now, only Washu disturbs the peace. It's never been so quiet at home!"

Naoko noticed Tenchi nodding solemnly in agreement with that. The room began to spin for the doctor. "Fill out these forms, and I'll be right back," she said numbly as she left the room. 'Perhaps two packs of cigarettes would be better,' she thought blankly. "Please tell me there are no more appointments," she asked her nurse hopefully.

"Just one doctor," the nurse answered.

'Just one. Can't be worse than that one, can it?' Naoko wondered. "Where are they?"

"The waiting room."

"Why didn't you put them in an exam room?"

"Not enough space," the nurse deadpanned.

With a sinking feeling, Dr. Akagi walked to the waiting room, and nearly fainted from shock. There were at least two dozen girls in junior high school uniforms waiting for her. Naoko counted to about fifteen before she gave up, figuring that the exact number didn't matter right now. Her mouth was once again bone dry as she rasped out the name on the file. "Sp-Springfield?"

"Yes?" replied every single girl.

The urge to faint, or run away screaming, grew even stronger. "All of you?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"And, and the father?"

"Here," answered a faint, accented voice.

Naoko looked down and for the first time noticed a young man. 'No, a boy,' she mentally corrected herself. "You?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Him," hissed a girl with bells in her hair, and one eye of blue and the other of green.

"Negi-sensei is the father!" gushed a haughty looking girl with long blonde hair.

"I'm having your baby Negi-kun!" squealed a girl with pink hair and ribbons as she glomped him affectionately.

"See? I told you you'd get him Nodoka," said a girl with glasses and twin hair antenna.

"I didn't think that I'd have to share him with the entire class, Paru," the girl replied.

"Negi-sensei? You're a teacher?" asked the doctor.

"Yes," the boy replied weakly, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

"It's all that vermin ermine's fault!" snarled the girl with bells in her hair. "Make a 'Truth of Heart' potion, Aniki. What's the worst that could happen?" she savagely mimicked. "I'm gonna turn him into set of furry handcuffs!"

'Ermine?' wondered Naoko. 'What's that about?' She then noticed a weasel on the boy's shoulder. That in itself was odd, but odder still was the fact that it appeared to be dancing a jig, and waving a Japanese flag in one paw, and a British Union Jack in the other.

"My grandfather's going to turn me into a gerbil," the boy sobbed miserably.

"Don't worry boya, I won't let that happen," replied a girl with blonde hair and well manicured nails, who looked to be about twelve years old.

"Mistress is correct, we will protect you," added a woman with green hair, an odd set of ear decorations, and a emotionless face.

"We've got you covered Negi-bozu!" declared a petite girl with light hair done into buns on each side of her head. A tall woman with an impressive figure and squinty eyes, an exotic looking woman carrying a guitar case, and woman carrying a sword on her back all nodded in agreement.

Dr. Akagi looked around desperately, hoping to see a hidden camera, hoping that this was an elaborate practical joke. No such luck. She let out a deep sigh and turned to her nurse. "Clear my appointments for the rest of the week, this could take a while." After a seconds consideration, she took some money out of her pocket and gave it to the nurse. "And when you get the time, go get me a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of sake," she added.

"But doctor-" The glare that Naoko gave her brooked no argument and silenced any criticism.

Doctor Naoko Akagi turned to the circus that had entered her practice. "Okay, how do you want to do this, by student number or alphabetically?"

End Omake

Omake Disclaimer:

'DearS' is the property of Peach-Pit, Tokyopop, and Geneon. 'Tenchi Muyo' is the property of Pioneer and AIC. 'Negima! Magister Negi Magi' is the property of Ken Akamatsu and Del Rey.

Author's Notes: I know, I know, it's been a while since I updated. I appreciate your patience, but I'd hit a wall. I think I'm back on track now, and I hope to have the next update out well before Christmas.

D'OH! I can't believe I posted this without thanking my prereaders, dennisud and Kylaran Aeldin. I'm sorry guys, my bad! Without their help I'm screwed! Thanks!

Thanks for all the feedback and comments.


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